Halo New Galaxy
by Commander Kelec
Summary: In 2554 the UNSC made contact with the Citadel races. But not everyone wants peace. Is cooperation between the UNSC and Citadel possible against the ex-Covenant splinter factions or will it turn into a three way war. ODST Lt Colonel John Shepard and Spartan Fireteam Crimson is right in the middle of it.
1. Chapter 1 Enclave

Halo New galaxy Ch1 Enclave

In 2554 the UNSC made contact with the Citadel races. But not everyone wants peace, and a team of Spartans is in the middle of it all. (AU)

 **19** **th** **June 2554**

 **Attican Traverse, Mining colony of Gadd orbit**

 **CSO class Super Carrier** _ **Concord of Justice**_

It had now been a little more than a year since the Human-Covenant War ended. _Concord of Justice_ had left former Covenant space behind it on the orders of Arbiter Del Kaaldrumee. He was the leader of the Enclave, a splinter faction from the collapsed Covenant and saw himself as Sanghelios true leader. He was one of the few Sangheili who hadn't removed the -ee suffix in his surname.

He looked at the screen displaying the planet they orbited. It was Turian, had a tiny population of nine hundred. According to scans it had little to no defenses. Clearly the Turians did not think it worthy of defense, or they did not expect anyone to attack it. Their loss then.

Kaaldrumee's loyal subordinate General Orn Revazum came up to him. He wore the golden armor of a Sangheili general. Only three years ago he had worn the armor of a Zealot, virtually unquestionably loyal to the Covenant. Yet all that had changed over time, and two year ago he joined Kaaldrumee in his crusade to defeat the Covenant loyalists. His strategic and tactical mind brought them many victories against their enemies. As an act of final defiance, Revazum had melted his Zealot armor down and used it took repair damage to _Concord of Justice_.

"Arbiter," Revazum said in his gruff and hard voice. "Our troops are ready in the hangars. The mining colony will be ours at your command."

Kaaldrumee felt that it was something else Revazum was considering if he should speak of or not. But he let him decide for himself and didn't push his friend. He remained silent.

"There, is another matter to address," Revazum continued, indeed.

"Yes. What is it?" Kaaldrumee's commanding voice asked.

"The fresh troops are voicing displeasure that some of them has to use Jiralhanae vehicles going into battle."

"I see," Kaaldrumee murmured. He tapped his fingers on his command chairs arm support. "Explain to them that to achieve our goals, we must adapt. It is something we didn't do in the war. A reason the humans prevailed in the end. Was it the best outcome? Perhaps, perhaps not, but this is not the point. If we do not adept, we will eventually fall and never claim our rightful place as rulers of the Sangheili people."

"I will give them a short version of that," Revazum said.

Kaaldrumee laughed and banged his fists into the arm support on his chair.

"Begin our assault!" He ordered.

Revazum slammed his fist against his chest honorably. "Yes Arbiter." He turned completely about. "Open the hangar doors and send our forces forth!"

The orders was quickly carried out by the bridge crew.

"Let the Seraph Starfighters lead the charge."

"Yes general," an officer complied.

While most operators on the bridge was Sangheili, three were Unggoy and one was Kig-yar. The majority of warriors under Kaaldrumee's command was Sangheili, but there were a large amount of Kig-yar and Unggoy on board the Super Carrier and the Corvettes around them. The small Enclave fleet composed off course, the CSO Super Carrier, but also six SDV Heavy Corvettes and a DDS Carrier, but it was damaged after a skirmish with the Sword of Sanghelios months ago. They no longer had the necessary materials to even manufacture parts to repair it. Half of the Super Carriers ground vehicles was in some form damaged, but the parts didn't exist to repair them. Now, they could manufacture their own parts on board but they needed material for that, which they didn't have.

The front screen switched to the view of the Seraph Starfighters entering the planet's atmosphere. Five Type-25 Troop Carrier dropships was following them, with fifteen Phantom Troop Carriers and five Phantom gunboats for extra security.

Kaaldrumee rose from his command chair to stand straight. His height brought him to an outstanding 2.7 meters. Compared to the rest that was around two meters and 2.4 meters in height, he was extremely tall. Even for a Sangheili. He was dressed in black and dark red armor.

He cracked his knuckles loudly.

"Arbiter," a Major said with the usual professional tone that the Sangheili had. "First reports in coming in. There are no batteries on any kind around the colony. No aero resistance at all by the Seraphs."

"Excellent," Kaaldrumee said. He took a few steps forward. "This should be quick then." He then turned his head to the Kig-yar at communications. "Make sure they remember to watch their fire. If any fresh warriors kill civilians I shall have the officer in charge of that Lance punished."

"Yes Arbiter, transmitting your reminder," the Kig-yar obeyed.

Kaaldrumee didn't actually worry about civilian lives, but for several reasons it would be bad to butcher Turian civilians. Since it had been only three months since they discovered the Citadel races-and vice versa-and only the humans had had real negotiations with them-as far as he knew-he didn't want to start by telling them that the Sangheili was blood thirsty monsters that butchered the innocent. Granted he was occupying one of their colonies but that was only until he could repair his ship. They probably didn't want anything to do with a Sangheili splinter faction that wasn't even legitimized by Thel Vadam and his _legitimate_ government.

Secondly, this was a new age. The bloody slaughters of the Human-Covenant War had ended. It was time for a new age, a new beginning. And he would lead his people into that age and bring forth new empire with the UNSC and the Citadel races as partners in trade and militarily. Although those dreams was far away yet. He needed to build the Enclave into a force to reckon with first.

"The first troops have landed Arbiter," he was informed. "No resistance. Just a lot of scared unarmed civilians."

Kaaldrumee smiled over the prospect of a bloodless occupation.

"Prepare a Phantom to take me and my second down," he ordered.

"Yes Arbiter."

"Wait, sir! We have reports of gunfire."

"Damn," Kaaldrumee cursed.

"Local military?" Revazum asked for details.

A few moments went by.

"Negative General. Looks like local law enforcement."

Revazum huffed. "Defending their homes. Brave and honorable." He had a spark of respect for the hostiles, although they were clearly outmatched and outgunned. But that made it all the more respectable.

"Southern part of the colony under our control," a Sangheili Major informed them. "Mines are being approached as we speak."

"Casualty report?" Revazum asked.

"A moment, General," the major requested. He spoke to a console operator before turning around to face the General and giant of a Sangheili that was the Arbiter. "Six dead, ten injured. One dead is a Sangheili officer, one Kig-yar, the rest Unggoy. Two injured are Kig-yar with the rest Unggoy."

"Enemy casualties?" Revazum asked.

"Seven dead, twenty-eight wounded in the firefight."

"Sir-sir!" An Unggoy called.

The major walked over to the tiny methane sucker. He was short, even for an Unggoy. Shortly he turned his head to look over his shoulder.

"Sir, the remaining defenders have surrendered. Major Vatan convinced them to put down their arms."

Kaaldrumee snorted silently, remembering the past. Only a few years ago no Sangheili would have allowed an enemy to surrender. Times were indeed changing. Some would argue for the worse, but those people were usually supporters of the dead Covenant. A peaceful surrender was perfect and would prevent any large amount of alien dead. It would lessen animosity between them.

"Major Vatan," Revazum noted, looking at the Arbiter.

Nana Vatan was a female Major in the Enclave. She was young, loyal and believed in the Enclave and in extent, Kaaldrumee's vision of the future. Most male warriors that served with her claimed she was one of the best warriors they'd seen. Including themselves. She had risen due to skill and a keen tactical mind.

"It could have been bloodied without her," Kaaldrumee said aloud.

"Arbiter," another major said. "The colony is ours."

Kaaldrumee turned on his heels. "Excellent! Come Orn, let us get down there."

Revazum followed him out of the bridge.

"Bring the Starfighters back to the hangars," the major in command with them gone ordered.

The trip in the Phantom planetside wasn't long. It took a short while and then Kaaldrumee and Revazum stood on Turian soil. As they stepped out of the Phantom they looked around. They had never seen a real Turian or their structures before. The Phantom had landed in the center of town. Three Banshees stood parked in the square and thirty warriors was present.

Kaaldrumee stopped by the body of the only dead Sangheili and looked at him. His eyes went to the dead Turian nearby. All dead was being gathered here. The Turian was a strange creature indeed. It reminded him slightly of Kig-yar, just taller and pretties. Avian ancestry perhaps?

The dead Turian was about two meters tall, two fingers and a thumb on each hand with tipped talons and metallic carapace as skin. Like the Sangheili, he had mandibles. He-or she perhaps-had light red stripes on her carapace covered.

His attention turned to a Turian-very much alive-that a pair of Unggoy brought forward. He was dressed-or she? He had no idea how a female looked. Could be as different as humans or very much similar. Anyway, the Turian wore a dark blue suit and was very nervous.

Kaaldrumee walked up to face him. It caused the Turian to swallow hard as the giant alien approached.

"I-I am Mahius Baldrick, Governor of Gadd," the Turian stuttered. His voice was masculine and proved he was a male.

"Greetings Governor Baldrick," Kaaldrumee said in as friendly a voice as he could. It came still across menacingly. "I am Arbiter Del Kaaldrumee of the Enclave, and I apologize for having to occupying your homes. I assure you, this is temporary. You see, I am in desperate need or material to manufacture parts to repair one of my ships in orbit and our vehicles." He paused. "Trading for it was not an option so I have no choice but to occupy you for now. When we are finished, I promise, we shall leave peacefully. Your people will not be harmed, as long as you cooperate."

Baldrick swallowed.

"I-I s-see…" he stammered.

Kaaldrumee noted that his eyes landed on the dead Turians.

"Do your culture bury your dead?" He then asked.

Baldrick nodded slowly. "Y-yes?"

"Then do it. Deal with your dead. We will do the same," he walked passed him. "We shall speak later, now I must oversee our territory."

He left the shivering governor standing alone.

Revazum walked beside Kaaldrumee.

Kaaldrumee raised a finger.

"We must begin mining and assembling the materials necessary immediately. Hopefully the mine contains suitable ores that will fit our purposes."

"Off course," Revazum said.

 **19** **th** **June 2157 CE**

 **UNSC space, Shanxi colony**

 **Echo base**

Vaelor Dazu was a patient man. This was yet another example of that. The meeting in the atrium had been delayed on three occasions now by half an hour each. The Salarian understood that it was a small human jest to show whose planet this was and that they were in charge. After the conflict with the Turians that ended around three months ago it was perfectly understandable.

This was the second meeting he had had with the UNSC. The first had been an unofficial meeting when he had met with an assembly Councilor an Admiral and an ODST Colonel.

Originally the Turians had _'demanded'_ that a Dreadnought escort the delegation through the relay into UNSC space, but it had been refused. This wasn't the time to show military force. Besides, having seen a Punic class Super Carrier up close, it was enough for Vaelor to know it would have been a pointless gesture. Show up in a one kilometer Dreadnought would do little to impress and awe the humans in Vaelor's mind. Since two Punic class Super Carriers orbited Shanxi. Both being three kilometers in length.

He shook his head at the military bravado. Using a six hundred meter Cruiser showed that they had no intentions of playing ' _who has the bigger ship_ '. The humans was still wary of the new races. They had thirty-five starships defending the colony.

He noted how his assistant was pacing back and forth. The young Asari was losing her patience. But that was an important part of his profession. Patience. His eyes turned to their escort. For C-Sec officers. An Asari and two Salarians led by a Turian Sergeant. Vaelor was somewhat wary of the Turian officer, since it wasn't long ago his people fought the UNSC. Thankfully the casualties across the board hadn't been too high, but the Turians had lost more than the humans had.

"Excuse me ambassador," a UNSC official said.

Vaelor turned around and smiled pleasantly.

"The UNSC delegation is ready to begin now," she informed them.

"Thank you," Vaelor said.

His little group followed her inside the Atrium.

The large area was empty, apart from a half moon shaped white desk where three UNSC delegates was standing. A similar sized desk had bene granted for their use, standing across from the other.

Vaelor approached it and stopped by the middle chair.

"Good afternoon Ambassador Dazu," the man representing the civilian part of the assembly said. His name was Eric Harrison. They had meet during the peace negotiations and again when both sides released POWs.

"Good afternoon Councilor," Vaelor returned the greeting.

Vaelor noted that the ODST officer wasn't present, and a different Councilor was here.

"We apologize for keeping you ambassador," Vice Admiral Petra Hammond said curtly. "But we've been busy with repairing our colony." Vaelor could sense the venomous undertones and caught her glancing at his Turian guard for a mere second.

"Off course," Vaelor said simply.

"Shall we?" Hammond gestured for them to take a seat.

The sixty-seven year old Vice Admiral had led the original defense of Shanxi. She lost two of her five starships before she was forced to retreat, with the rest badly damaged. But she took out seven Turian ships during the time too. Most of them going down with crew and all. She had joined the counterattack and come back for vengeance.

She had a short blonde ponytail with streaks of grey sneaking in. wrinkles had snuck into her facial features with age, but her dark brown eyes looked as vigilant and sharp as ever. She was wearing a dark green naval dress uniform. After she lived through the entire Human-Covenant War she had grown a deep distrust and hatred of aliens. Vaelor could see it in her face-although she kept it well hidden-and in her body language.

The third and last member of the delegation was Lt. Colonel John Bay, a member of an organization named ONI. Office of Naval Intelligence. He was clearly not a field agent that much was clear to Vaelor when he met him at the first unofficial meeting. The dark skin man was short trimmed dark brown hair, his grey eyes was constantly tired and he had a rather _'expanded'_ stomach region. He wore a black dress uniform and was fiddling with his fingers on the table as he watched Vaelor and his assistant.

After everyone sat down Councilor Harrison was the first to speak.

"Let us start with what was discussed during the unofficial meeting." He looked on his datapad. "Stating for the record what was agreed upon, the UNSC will supply none-classified information on races and organizations in our part of the galaxy and the Citadel Council will supply the same on the races in your part of the galaxy." He looked up.

Vaelor nodded. "Correct."

A security team of four each had been agreed upon inside the atrium. Sergeant Antilles Kryos-head of the Citadel team-suspiciously eyed heavily armored soldiers the UNSC had. Like the Citadel team, they stood five meters behind the delegates.

One of the tall armored soldiers wore a Mjolnir Powered Assault Armor, generation two. It was colored in dark red and black with a silver visor. On her back hung a M7 SMG, an MA5D and a M6H Mangum was holstered on her hip. She was Fireteam Crimsons official leader.

Beside her stood a man in Mjolnir Powered Assault Armor. His armor was dark blue with an orange visor. Nomad and his female teammate-Mira-was the only Spartan IIIs of the four present.

The other two had Generation two Mjolnir Powered Assault Armor. The one closest to Nomad was going with a black color scheme and red stripes while the other had a dark and light red pattern on hers. Her visor was orange to her comrades light blue.

Mira watched the Citadel guards with a cautious eye. In case this went down the drains she had marked them as targets on her HUD. It wouldn't be a long fight if they tried anything. Neither of them looked too tough. The Turian, was it? Looked relatively tough, but nothing against an Elite. A round through his carapace skull and it'd be over.

The delegates had touched on trade and moved on. The talks went to discuss the splinter factions from the dismantlement of the Covenant. Some of these could be a potential threats to the Citadel.

Mira stared at the Turian officer through her silver visor. He was looking at them with suspicion and an amount of anger.

"Hey, Mira," she heard Nomad said in their helmet radio.

"What?" She replied.

"See how that alien guy's looking at us?"

"Yes."

"I don't think he likes us," Nomad noted casually.

"Well, we did hand his people their asses only a few months ago," Mira said flatly.

Nomad chuckled.

"Now shut it and pay attention," she then ordered him.

"Sorry," he apologized. "Shutting up."

After around the two hour mark they broke for a recess, to assume negotiations in another hour.

Vaelor was pleased. They had begun discussing a treaty that would ensure peace between the Citadel and UNSC. It promised military cooperation if a splinter faction from the Covenant threatened both Citadel and UNSC space. He didn't know if the likelihood of that was too big, probably small, but it was a good start. It would take time before it could be formalized.

They had also discussed a UNSC embassy on the Citadel. It would allow for smoother negotiations in the future and to Vaelor's delight, they had agreed. After their break they would deliberate on this issue further.

After two hours with the human delegates, he could say for certainty that the young Councilor Harrison was out to make a name for himself. Right now that meant successful negotiations with the Citadel Council representative, but if it meant aggressively shouting for war, he would do it. To question about it. Vice Admiral Hammond hated him, and all aliens really. But, at least she was –openly at least-willing to let diplomacy prevail and not let her feelings hamper it. Lt. Colonel John Bay was easy to read too. He was there-not to have an opinion-but to represent ONI and make sure the UNSC representatives didn't do something ONI disapproved of. He had been the most critical on cooperation between them. Even more so than the Vice Admiral.


	2. Chapter 2 Bad decision

Halo New galaxy Ch2 Bad decision

 **19** **th** **June 2554**

 **UNSC space, Shanxi colony**

 **Echo base**

Mira removed her helmet and put it down on the bench. After she took a gentle breath she put the helmet inside the locker she stood in front. She had auburn short cropped hair and a pair of sharp yellow eyes. Her body had a slight tan.

She definitely preferred fighting the Former Covenant to this. Guarding a negotiation was her least favorite assignment to date. She didn't join the Spartan III program to watch diplomats play their games, but to defend humanity from the hostile aliens at the gate.

As he removed his own armor, Nomad looked at her.

"This kind of thing makes me miss the Brutes," he joked and sighed for added effect.

She smirked.

"Amen brother," she murmured. But, if this is where the high wigs need us, we am I to argue?"

Nomad tilted his head and cracked his knuckles.

"I prefer letting my sniper talk, but yeah. Gotta make a good example for the kids, right?" He nudged his head towards the Spartan IVs.

"Oh, ha ha," a Scottish man commented dryly. "Funny Nomad."

He wasn't wearing his black armor with red stripes anymore, and worked on taking his M90 apart and putting it back together while he sat in his cot. He had an armory locker on his side. Finishing up with the shotgun he quickly checked the time.

"Seventeen," Mira informed him, having kept count.

"Fuck," the Scot berated himself. "I'm off my game together. Guarding top wigs threw me off."

"Because it was so stressful, yeah?" A feminine voice with a British accent cut in. "That it Evans?"

The scot, Charles Evans chuckled dryly. "Funny girl, Lizzy."

She cracked a small grin. "Did learn from the best."

Spartan Charles Evans was a man in his thirties with red hair and a fitting mustache attached to his face. It was quite thick, like a large larva crawling under his nose. His eyes was a mixture of dark blue and emerald green. He was wearing his under-suit. Turning his eyes back to the shotgun.

"Alright baby, gotta take in those seconds. Come on." He started the counter and began to disassemble the M90.

In her own cot, Lizzy was reading a good book. Elisabeth-or Lizzy to her friends-McKenzie was the youngest in Fireteam Crimson. She was in her late twenties. Twenty-seven to be exact. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail. She had hair as white as snow and her skin was pale, not sickly but simply unusually pale. She had a gentle and soft voice, but don't be fooled. She was as good a killer as everyone else in the barrack.

"Did you guys here about the documentary?" Lizzy asked casually.

"The what?" Mira asked, looking back at her.

Lizzy raised her head and lowered her book.

"Some bloke back on Mars is making a documentary about the whole freakin' war. Now when UEG got somethin' to say again, they approved for some military records to be made available for him," Lizzy filled the rest in.

Nomad snorted. "Who the fuck would watch a documentary after living through that?" He asked.

"That's the point, I think," Lizzy answered. "It's probably for the next generator. We can't let 'em forget about the Covenant war like that. Not after we almost got wiped."

"Not saying that," Nomad retorted. "But it…I don't know. Seems like a dumb idea to me. I don't wanna talk about everything I went through to a camera or whatever."

"You won't have to," Lizzy assured him. "No way UNSC will let some civvie interview Spartans. We've all got a big off limit sign on us." She shrugged. "Sure he wants to but, fuck I can't figure out any reason they'd led him near us."

That earned a chuckle from the corner of the room.

Lizzy turned and looked over to the fifth Spartan in the room.

"Got something to say Locust?" Mira asked before Lizzy could say something.

For a moment the black haired Spartan was silent. He scratched his ebony black goatee.

"Nah. Just found it funny Lizzy knew so many words at ones." He grinned slightly.

Lizzy rolled her eyes.

"Best you got?" She countered flatly.

"Not even close," Locust answered her.

"Don't try starting something Marshal," Mira commanded. "Got to the shooting range if you need to blow some steam."

Richard Marshal got out of his cot and walked over to his weapons locker. He got his BR85N out and put it on his bed.

"Something I like about this setup," he began. "Is that we get all our stuff right here."

"You always did like when they let you be lazy," Evans said.

Locust snickered.

"I've killed more Covies than I can count in this way, think I've earned some laziness, don't ya?" Without expecting an answer he continued looking around in his locker.

His armor was the 2nd gen Mjolnir Powered Assault Armor, Rogue variant. It had a dark blue color scheme with a golden visor.

The sixth and last member of Crimson was John Cooper. Like everyone except Nomad and Mira he was a Spartan IV. Mira and Nomad were both IIIs. John was in his early thirties with a black messy style and an unshaved chin. His light blue eyes looked at Locust while he put his armor on. Since he didn't have anything to add to the conversation, he was just quiet and kept to himself.

 **20** **th** **June 2157 CE**

 **Krogan DMZ, Aralakh system**

 **Corvette Lingering Serpent**

As the Corvette approached the lone Freighter orbiting the arid planet, Captain Reb the Slick grinned and clapped his hands tougher.

"Oh, look at that dung heap of a planet boys," Reb said. "Reminds me of Sanghelios."

His first mate turned his head to him.

"I didn't know who've been there," Sax said inquisitively.

Reb shrugged and let a grin on his beak again.

"Long time ago, I was young and stupid." He raised a talon. "Never raid a Sangheili ship. Bad idea."

"I knew that already," Sax said. "Who'd be dumb enough for that?"

Reb waved him off and focused back on the Freighter.

"This is it gentlemen," he said. "We are the first Kig-yar to raid…whoever's on board that tug called a ships. It's a floating wreck to me. Looks barely flight worthy." "He turned to the Kig-yar responsible for the comms station. "Tell them we're going to board them."

"Got it Captain."

"We're about to be famous, Sax," Reb told his first mate.

"Shouldn't we be more cautious then this?" Sax asked.

Reb laughed and jumped out of his command chair.

"You need to learn to live a little, Sax old boy!"

"No answer from the Freighter, sir," the comm officer said.

"Well then, move in and dock," Reb commanded.

The Corvette maneuvered up to the Freighters side and prepared to dock. Reb sent fifteen of his men down to the airlock to charge over and assume control of the puny Freighter.

"Docking in ten. Nine. Eight…" a crewman counted down. "…seven. Six. Five. Four."

Reb grinned eagerly. He could barely wait to see what that airlock had on the other side.

"Three. Two. One, opening airlock."

Reb clapped his hands together. He could hear a fire fight over the comms. Sounded like the Freighter crew put up some kind of fight. He chuckled at the adorable attempt.

When a horrified crewmen turned away from his console to stare at him.

"Captain, we've been boarded!"

"What?!" Reb exclaimed. "But we're the pirates, we're boarding them! They can't board us!" He turned to Sax. "Sound the alarm, get everyone to the armory!"

Sax nodded and activated the ship wide alarm. He took half the bridge crew and rushed to the armory. They ran through a certain amount of purple boring corridors until the armory was only a corner away from them. When Sax turned it, he stopped dead in his tracks.

Seven dead Kig-yar littered the floor and two Saurians stood there. They turned their attention to them.

"Cover!" Sax shouted.

He jumped behind the corner as the Saurians started firing shotguns at them. Three men weren't so lucky and was hit. Two died but one was merely injured. While Sax and the four remaining crewmen ran for it back the corridor. One of the Saurians shot the wounded Kig-yar in the head. Splitting it in a million bloody pieces.

"Who the fuck are these guys!?" One of the men asked scared.

"I don't fucking know!" Sax answered. "We gotta get some weapons somewhere and-" he froze when he heard shooting inside the bridge.

For approximately four seconds Kig-yar screams filled the air, but it quickly died away, like the ones screaming. Was the Captain dead? He wasn't sure but it sure as hell sounded like it.

"We need to get the fuck off this ship," Sax told his fellow pirates.

There was no argument.

"To the hangar," he whispered and they hurried along, hoping to avoid any of those terrifying Sangheili 2.0.

If they could get to the hangar they could take a Phantom and escape. Unfortunately their only option was to land on the planet but well down there they might be able to steal a ship and get out of this damn system. Sax knew he should have trusted his gut and tried convincing Reb better. This wasn't what he expected. He'd never seen alien warriors like these before. Sangheili or Jiralhanae was the closest, but these guys looked scarier than your everyday Sangheili.

"Hey, boss!" A Kig-yar in their path shouted.

Sax stopped in front of him and accepted the Needler pistol he offered. The rest if him crewmen got plasma pistols and Needler pistols between them. It was the backup weapons from the Kig-yar gathered here.

"Can you tell us who these bastards are boss?" The crewman asked.

"I got no idea," Sax answered helplessly.

He looked at the group. There were twenty-six of them in the junction right now.

"Me and the boys," the crewman pointed at some of the others behind him. "Shot at one of those giant lizards. They had shields but our shots went right through. Seems they have no defense for plasma."

"Ya killed one?" Another asked.

"No, he shrugged us off and killed five guys with his bare hands. We had to run for it."

Sax shivered to his hollow bones. It wasn't a shock to him though. During the war with the humans he had been a mercenary and seen Sangheili charge through hails of bullets and rip enemy soldiers apart. But what were the odds that the first ship they raid in this new space was one owned by Sangheili-like aliens. Just without the mandibles and thicker armor.

"Sir, we got incoming!"

Sax turned and spotted two of the Saurians walking towards them. They had large grins on their faces.

"Fire!" Sax shouted.

They barely had time before the aliens powered up their biotic charge. In seconds they were in the midst of the pirates. The carnage began as they unloaded their Claymore Shotguns into them. They splattered purple blood on the purple ship walls and floor. A panicked Kig-yar fired his Needler pistol, hitting the aliens arm and even hitting a comrade in the back. The detonation caused the alien to roar loudly and splattered the Kig-yar's body in pieces. Both explosions wounded or killed half the people in the cramped junction.

The other alien blasted the Kig-yar twice with his shotgun.

"Idiot," he muttered.

Sax was lying on the floor, fine, but he had been thrown back in the explosion. He was confused as to how they could understand each other. But he wagered that these aliens had something that help translate other languages. When the aliens stared right at him with toothy grins he thought he was dead for sure.

When one of them leveled his shotgun at him, the other slapped it away.

"Warlord said to take most of the crew alive," he reminded the other male.

"Hmff. Fine," the first grumbled.

Sax was forced to the hangar where dozens of crew members had been forced together. But he didn't say long until one of the soldiers grabbed him and pulled him with to the bridge.

The bridge was littered of the dead crewmen. Including Reb the Slick. All dead. Everyone hwo had been on the bridge was apparently dead. He realized how lucky he had been. If he had stayed, he would most certainly be dead too.

"Remind me to thank that Salarian for fixing the Omni-tools translator with these guys," a massive Saurian told another.

It earned a grin from him. He then pointed at Sax.

The first turned around staring Sax down with a toothy grin.

"I've been told by some of your crew that you're the first mate."

Sax swallowed. "And you are?"

"Valid question if ever I heard one," the alien agreed. "We are Krogan. Me, I am Khatarun Vezk. Warlord of Clan Khatarun!"

Sax studied the giant 'Krogan'. He was a bit over two meters tall, got a brown crest on his head and wore strong silver armor. His amber eyes studied Sax right back.

"My Salarian…" he thought about a good word for it. "… _friend_ , says you are…" he thought what he'd actually said. A lot of boring scientific stuff was involved so he didn't actually pay attention.

"Kig-yar," Sax felt a need to inform him.

"Kig-yar, yes that's it," Vezk said in agreement. "Either way, I'm taking your ship and your people have a choice. You may join my merry Warband of warriors and pillage the galaxy." He walked closer to Sax. "Ever wanted to become famous? As a pirate I assume you do, so…swear loyalty to me, teach us your technology and I grant you the same rights as the Krogan in my Warband."

"And option number two?" Sax asked

"We kill you all for sport."

"Err, after careful consideration…on the behalf of my crew, I accept your more than generous offer."

Vezk grinned. "Ha ha ha." Then slapped Sax in the back. "Welcome to the team Turian-rip-off."


	3. Chapter 3 Pirate Warlord

Halo New galaxy Ch3 Pirate Warlord

 **24** **th** **June 2157 CE**

 **Krogan DMZ, inside an asteroid belt**

 **SDV Heavy Corvette, formerly** _ **Lingering Serpe**_ **nt, now** _ **Krogan Wisdom**_

Vezk had picked the new ship name because it sounded cool and also because it was ironic. There was little Krogan wisdom in the galaxy. The Krogan was warriors, not wise males of science. He had spent two days getting familiar with the ship and picking up extra warriors from Tuchanka. Unfortunately he couldn't fit his entire Warband on board. He needed more of these new, _Covenant_ , warships for that. With enough new ships, troops and plasma weaponry he could conquer all of Tuchanka.

But for now he had to settle with two Corvettes. SDV class Heavy Corvettes, as he'd been told. SDV was a terrible name for a ship class. It didn't scare anybody. The Covenant clearly wasn't so bright. But he already knew that since they seemed to have a lot in common with the Citadel Council in his eyes. Both adored genocide. The Covenant almost took humanity, and the Citadel tried wiping the Krogan out. And still was.

"They are ready to receive our Phantoms," Kegg, his trusted second in command told him.

"Tell them that Captain…errh Red the Lick is about to send the Phantoms," Vezk ordered.

"Reb the Slick," Sax corrected the insult to the dead captain and his friend. "Reb the Slick!"

Vezk just waved him off. "Whatever."

He walked off the bridge and made his way to the hangar. The two pirate Corvettes waited for a Phantom each with important cargo from _Reb the Slick_. Those Phantoms would be filled with Krogan that would take over the hangars and make sure no alarm rang out. Then more Phantoms would come over with Krogan warriors and they would take the ships. If necessary Kegg had orders to disable the ships engines, but he hoped he wouldn't need to. It would delay his own operations.

When this was finished he planned to force the Salarian scientist they kidnapped last month to install the necessary engine parts and make these ships able to travel through Mass Relays too. There was nothing to stop him. Although it would take time, he'd capture more and more ships, building up his space fleet. As long as he didn't enter Citadel space and made himself a threat immediately. They'd just send their combined fleets to crush him before he could create an Armada. Lastly he needed to upgrade all of his men's barriers so plasma didn't go right through.

He armed himself with his Claymore shotgun and a Plasma rifle. He didn't like how they overloaded after a while, but Claymore wasn't exactly a quick shooter either.

Down in the hangar he jumped into one of the Phantoms. The Kig-yar pilot took off with the ship full of Krogan and a few Kig-yar's with shields to cover their new Krogan shipmates.

Vezk was eager and excited. As was his second, Kegg. But he had to stay behind and make sure the pirates didn't do something stupid as try betraying them by warning the others or shooting their Phantoms down.

" _We're inside their hangar, sir,"_ the pilot said over the internal speakers of the Phantom.

Vezk looked at his warriors. They were ready. Definitely. The silver armored warriors were ready to kill and conquer. He was intrigued over that the Kig-yar didn't mind killing their former comrades. They were relatively okay with it actually. Maybe it was a pirate thing.

" _Touching down,"_ the pilot said. _"Game time, Sir big Warlord boss."_

Vezk cocked his shotgun. "He he he."

The side doors retracted and opened both sides of the Phantom. Vezk quickly counted two Kig-yar and a little guy with a mask and tank on his back. They freaked when the Krogan charged out. He blasted the masked tank breather down on the spot but the other two were gunned down by his warriors. On the other side two Kig-yar went down.

The rest of the hangars personal started going for weapons and make a beeline for the only exit out of the hangar. One of them ran for a console. A Krogan with a Needler shot him down. When the Kig-yar got hit in the neck and his upper body exploded it caused a round of laughs from several Krogan.

A Krogan with a Revenant was mowing down a handful of pirates. He shifted his aim and fired at two hiding behinds crates. They peeked out to shoot ones and it was enough to shred their bird heads like cheese.

Within seconds they had cleared the hangar.

Vezk saw a console beeping and chimed. He waved one of his Kig-yar over.

The Kig-yar activated the console.

"Hey, how's it going down there?" A raspy voice asked.

"Hey boss," the Kig-yar said. "Slick got the damned thing loaded up with some alcoholic goodness."

" _Ha ha ha ha!"_ The Kig-yar laughed. _"I knew he'd do somethin' like that!"_

"Could use some muscle to pack it all out though."

" _You got it, more boys on the way, Captain Jypk out."_

The Kig-yar didn't look happy over lying to his comrades but forced a smile over his beak. "Got some boys coming down, sir."

Vezk nodded. "Let's set up an ambush." He started organizing the Kig-yar and Krogan on both sides of the doorway, hiding from view. A few Kig-yar remained in the open to not worry the newcomers.

Soon fifteen Kig-yar came into the hangar and found themselves surrounded by Krogan and fellow Kig-yar. Kig-yar they were sure didn't work in the hangar. They saw bodies of their dead shipmates around the open deck.

"Anyone who wants to get rich and survive, go over there," Vezk ordered. No matter how much he wanted to kill these guys for sport, he needed surviving crew. Someone had to keep him informed about everything in the newly discovered region of the galaxy. The Kig-yar seemed like simple foot soldiers, frail, yes, but they claimed to be good snipers and those energy shields the ones with him carried was very useful. Especially in smaller spaces like corridors. They were like Vorcha, but far more useful. When he was part of the Blood Pack he led Platoons of Vorcha into suicidal battles before sending in the Krogan to finish up the enemy.

Thirteen of the fifteen marched over to a section where three Krogan would guard them. The other two refused. Their loyalty for their captain too great.

"Loyalty, huh," Vezk noted. "Admirable." He raised his Plasma rifle and shot two bolts, head shooting them both. He pointed to the Krogan guarding his future crewmembers. "Watch them. They move, kill them. Rest of you with me. To the bridge."

The pilot took off to retrieve more men. There would be over a hundred Kig-yar on board. They needed more than a dozen Krogan and some Kig-yar to take it.

One of the Kig-yar remained to hack the system and make sure they didn't realized what was happening until it was too late. He deactivated the communications system and engines without them noticing. He also tricked their sensors so they would see the mass of Phantoms coming over.

Vezk led the march through the corridors of the purple ship and whenever a lone crewman appeared, he killed him. He wasn't sure when the pirates would realize their systems was being hacked but if it worked long enough for his Krogan to storm on board, it'd be enough.

"Woah what the frag!" A Kig-yar in their path exclaimed. The other started scrambling back.

Vezk blasted both down with plasma bolts.

"Warlord," a Krogan voice said through the comm.

"What?" Vezk asked.

"Four Phantoms just offloaded ninety Krogan and Kig-yar troops in the hangar."

"Good, storm in and take control of the ship. We're closing in on the bridge."

"Yes Warlord!"

"Hehehehe," Vezk chuckled grimly.

They walked through some staircases that led further up the ship towards the bridge. The twenty-seven armed warriors and pirates was ready to fight.

Hearing footsteps approaching from the door leading onto the bridge deck level Vezk leveled his Plasma rifle. When a Kig-yar strolled through casually, he shot him down. He jogged up to the doorway and looked in both directions.

"Intruders!" A Kig-yar yelled. He ducked for the cover of an open door.

His warriors charged on and fired at the pirates in their path. Three dropped dead within a two second count.

Vezk had brought a Krogan Company of one-hundred and fifty men on board the first Corvette. Now they were dividing here and to the other Corvette. These pirates had never seen a Krogan before, which deceased their survival chances significantly.

The Kig-yar with energy shields led the quick advance with Krogan shooting over their heads. Many of them on board Reb's ship had served in the Covenant army as mercenaries or privateers. They had military training and experience. Almost all of them was veterans from the Human-Covenant War so fighting in this formation was nothing new. It was the reason Reb had been the Captain in charge between these three. He had the experience the others didn't have. Their crews hadn't the same experience either. These pirates had been freelancing on their own since they started. Avoiding Covenant service. Now there skill was put to use against their fellow pirates.

A pirate with a Needler pistol fired half his clip at the advancing enemy without much success. He ducked behind a corner and took a deep breath. He didn't understand how they got so deep into the ship, or who they were. He peeked out and emptied the Needler pistol. Three needles hit one of the Krogan warrior's faces. He first got angry that he'd been hit in the face, but when they exploded, it took half his large head off. The large body fell to the floor with a loud thud.

Vezk heard the ship wide alarm going off. Now they definitely knew they were here. But he had little over a hundred men on board so he was certain of victory. How bloody, he didn't know though.

His men had to stop when a turret started blasting at them. It was positioned in the middle of a long corridor, along with two metal barricades on each side. The gunner kept blasting while three men fired from behind cover. They sued Needlers, snipers and Plasma rifles.

They halted and took cover behind the walls of the junction. Two of their Kig-yar was mowed down in the opening barrage.

"Sir!" Vezk turned to one of his Krogan.

The silver armored warrior had his armored badly burnt by plasma and he was bleeding from a little all over. His left arm wasn't working after his shoulder had been almost clipped off. He stumbled forward.

Vezk turned all his attention to the wounded man.

"Permission to…" he coughed up some blood. "…go in first."

Vezk smiled and nodded. "Take as many of them with you as you can."

The warrior nodded and cocked his Graal Spike Thrower. He stepped out into the corridor and fired the shotgun. The oversized flechettes peace pierced a pirate's beak and continued into his skull. It split his head in two and purple blood splattered on the pirates by his sides.

But the gunner brought his bolts to strike the lone Krogan. Plasma bolts slammed into him and burnt through his armor. The Krogan threw his shotgun away and drew his Plasma pistol. He continued firing when he fell to his knees, while his body gave in to his wounds. With his last effort he put a bolt through the gunner's eye. Then he collapsed himself.

The turret overloaded and had to cool down for a moment before it could fire again. A weakness Vezk was fully aware about.

"Shields up front, forward!" He barked orders.

The Kig-yar with shields quickly lined up and jogged forward under fire. The Krogan was right behind them, firing their weapons. A mix of their own and former captured pirate weapons. Vezk was right there with them, firing his Claymore now instead of the Plasma rifle.

When they were halfway down the turrets new gunner readied to open fire again.

"Break shields, Krogan charge!" Vezk decided.

The Kig-yar shifted their shields and allowed the Krogan to storm the barricade. Only ten meters divided the Krogan and defending pirates. It was obvious they were panicking as they started to shoot more erratically. But none the less two Krogan went down. When the turret began firing it fired right into a Krogan, bringing him down in a few seconds flat by unloading shot after shot into his head.

When the first Krogan jumped over the barricades the line was definitely broken. They killed the pirates with their bare hands and by squashing them under foot.

When the managed to storm onto the bridge there was a mass surrender from the pirates present.

"Don't shoot!" One of them cried out.

"Me and my crew surrenders," the Captain said calmly.

Vezk walked up and stared him down. "You're the ship Captain?"

He nodded. Before he could blink Vezk raised his shotgun and blew his skull to little pieces.

"Not. Anymore."

The Kig-yar was horrified when their captain was killed in such a bloody manner.

" _Warlord Vezk,"_ came a gruff voice through his Omni-tool comm.

"Speak."

" _We have almost taken the ship. Only the stubborn bridge crew left."_

Vezk grinned. Both ships was soon under his total control.


	4. Chapter 4 Let diplomacy prevail

Halo New galaxy Ch4 Let diplomacy prevail

 **27** **th** **June 2157 CE**

 **Inner Council space, Citadel, Presidium**

Garrus Vakarian watched the building housing embassies. It made him glad not to be stationed up there. So much diplomatic crap. No, this was where he would much rather be. He couldn't stand the political gameshow.

He strolled onward casually. A pair of Turian security officers was involved in a situation with a Volus and a Quarian. The Volus-from what Garrus heard-accused her of stealing from him. Off course the male Quarian protested and claimed he was innocent. Well that was something new, somebody claiming innocence. He wasn't sure if he'd had a case where someone actually confessed on the spot. As he kept studying the scene the Quarian offered to be searched by the C-sec officers, which found nothing, proving the Volus male's accusations to be baseless. That was nothing new either. That someone brought baseless accusations against a Quarian cause he or she was nearby at the time.

His eyes wandered to a pretty Turian female that was sitting on a bench and speaking with an equally pretty Asari. The Asari wore a beautiful dress while the Turian female sported a fancy coat.

Their conversation abruptly ended when three individual came into view. The new arrivals in the galaxy. Some of them anyway. Humans. Three of them specifically. Two of them wore their version of civilian clothing and the third had a black military uniform. He practically shouted spook. The three of them promenaded in the direction of the embassies.

Garrus wasn't sure what he thought of these strange new aliens. He knew they had come out of some kind of war recently, with some aliens from their part of the galaxy. He didn't know why they fought, for how long, casualties, the likes- but they would explain the looks he'd seen from them from when they arrived in and established their embassy two days ago. Not all of them off course, but especially the soldiers watched the Presidiums citizenry with glowing hatred. That hatred could be dangerous. If too many of these humans came here with grudges against anyone not humans, it could get messy real fast. He was just glad the Citadel had regulations against guns.

C-Sec was the only people allowed to have guns on the Citadel-apart from some special cases and circumstances-and a college of his had told him that the UNSC-as there military branch called themselves-protested heavily. They had no trust that C-Sec would protect their people. But he didn't take the insult personally. The first contact between them had been rough. With casualties on both sides. But more Turians than humans in the end.

He didn't think it was a good idea to have xenophobic soldiers walking around looking for a fight.

He peeked his hearing when his commlink went off.

" _Fight in the embassy entrance, C-Sec backup required. Nearby officers respond,"_ a male Turian voice called.

He got moving and hurried his ass towards the embassies. He ran passed the human trio. When he arrived in the entrance hall of the building housing the ambassadors it was easy to find the fight.

He looked over the involved. Two Turians in military armor and four human soldiers. ODSTs, if he remembered correctly from the report. A young Asari C-Sec officer was standing between them, trying desperately to keep them from beating each other up. He could see it on her that she was a rookie.

He quickly intervened and got up and into the middle of it.

"Alright let's settle down!" He raised his voice.

"I'm gonna make you regret saying that!" One of the Turians roared furiously at the humans.

"Fuck you!" A female ODST cried back.

"The way you assholes died on Shanxi, I could kill y'all in my sleep!" Another shot off.

He heard laughs from his comrades.

"I'll ki-"

"Don't finish that sentence!" Garrus interrupted the Turian with a warning.

He caught everyone's attention.

"Now…what's going on here?" He asked till however would answer.

One of the Turian soldiers was up for the challenge.

"That-" he started to almost yell angrily. A warning look from Garrus made him lower his voice. "Those aliens started this. Insulting our dead on their worthless planet."

That got one of the ODSTs off. He stepped forward and tried pushing passed Garrus.

"Say that to my face you fucking xeno bastard!" Garrus and his Asari College grabbed him and pushed him away.

He couldn't take any statements, figure out what happened or take individual statements without some backup to check on the other while he talked with them one at a time.

Garrus was relieved to see the elevator doors open and two Salarian officers hurry over to join them.

"Nice timing, Seyho," he said, nodding emphatically to one of them.

The Salarian nodded back.

Garrus turned back to the involved parties.

"Next man who goes for a punch gets arrested right on the spot. He can explain his version from a cell," he warned all of them.

He then gave Seyho room to jump in. He was a senior officer after all.

"Now gentlemen, let's remember where we are," Seyho suggested. "This is what is going to happen here now. First, we take a statement from each and every one of you. Then we will give you all a warning, next time, you get arrested and brought up on charges. After the warning, you can leave." He pointed to a Turian. "I will start with you."

Seyho looked the ODSTs in the eyes, each and every one of them, one at a time. He saw the anger and hatred filled up in their eyes. If he was a betting man, he would be he would have to arrest these four at a later date. He then looked at the Turians and shook his head. Both were First Lieutenants. They would be above fighting like this.

He turned his attention to a pair of humans arriving. One of them an ODST and the other the human ambassador. The ODST stopped between Garrus and an ODST officer involved.

"What happened, Lieutenant?" He asked Seyani.

"A light fight," he read his rank. "Lt. Colonel. We're taking statements." He gestured for the Asari and his Salarian comrade to begin.

The Dark skin Lieutenant Colonel turned to the ODST officer angrily.

"What the hell were you thinking Major?" He hissed. "You are an officer for god sake! You're expected to be smart enough to avoid starting fights."

"Colonel Shepard," the major began to explain.

But Shepard wasn't having it. He waved him off.

"Tell them," he pointed specifically at Garrus. "Otherwise shut it. I'll deal with you later."

The human ambassador, dressed in a white costume with a dark blue color stepped over to Lieutenant Seyho.

"Excuse me, Lieutenant," he said curtly. "But may I exchange a few words with you?"

Seyho turned to the human and nodded politely.

"Off course Ambassador Udina," he affirmed.

They walked to the side together to talk.

While the other two officers was taking the involved statements Garrus turned to the Colonel.

"I am sorry about this incident Officer…" Shepard started.

"Vakarian, Garrus Vakarian," Garrus said and offered his hand.

The dark skin colonel accepted the handshake without hesitation.

"…Vakarian. I apologize about Major Hathaway. He's a good man and a damn good soldier."

"Well," Garrus said emphatically. "It isn't like it's the first fight the embassy has ever seen. Occasionally an ambassador has been known to punch another. Or being punched by someone on eh, lesser status, let's say."

Shepard couldn't help but to smirk at that. He glanced at Ambassador Udina. "I know the feeling on the latter," he admitted. "I'm not much for politics."

"Neither am I," Garrus said. If you don't mind, I didn't catch your name Lt. Colonel."

"John Shepard, ODST, 29th "Sky Hopper" Battalion," he introduced himself.

Garrus arched his eyebrows.

"Oh, Battalion CO, is it. Impressive. I don't know about human age and ranking but you look pretty young for a Battalion CO," he said as politely as he could.

Shepard snickered slightly and looked a bit proud.

"I am actually, for a Lt. Colonel am rather young. But we needed officers at the end of the war so I got flung up from Major when our CO was killed in action," he explained shortly.

Garrus nodded slowly. "I'm sorry. Heard your people were in a war recently."

It was Shepard's turn to nod. He sighed. "Almost thirty years. Billions dead in pointless slaughter. The Covenant bastards tried to wipe us out. There were the first aliens we ever made contact with."

Garrus was visibly shocked by the number of dead. That definitely explained why the soldiers hated aliens. Since their first contact ended in a bloodbath of billions it explained why the UEG and UNSC especially had a deep rooted hatred for any aliens. Strangely enough the Colonel seemed to have an open mind, even though he was both into a life of war. He looked about the early thirties mark, which would mean he was around three or six when the war broke out. Only thing he ever knew was war, and aliens that hated them enough to want to destroy them.

And then they discovered a Relay and a Turian patrol came across them and attacked. With activating a Mass Relay being illegal and all. Pushing them back and occupying one of their planets. His people were probably lucky that the Council intervened to stop the war before it took any more lives. Probably more Turian and humans given their difference in technology and the fact humanity was fully ready and on a war footing already.

"I'm sorry," he said sympathetically. He leaned closer. "Look, no matter how clean this place looks, it's got a history of its own. A bloody one. Two bloody wars in fact."

Shepard shifted his footing and crossed his arms.

"How long?"

Garrus gestured with his hands. "Mind you this was almost two thousand years ago. The Rachni Wars lasted for for almost three centuries."

Shepard whistled.

"Then we had the Krogan Rebellions, but…" he looked around. "Why don't we get together some other time? I should probably get back to it."

Shepard nodded and smile.

"That goes for both of us Vakarian. I've got some chatting to do with my Battalion XO." Garrus realized he meant Major Hathaway. He hoped the UNSC wasn't planning on bringing the whole damn Battalion here unarmed. As if knowing what he thought, Shepard said, "Don't worry we're not bringing in any more soldiers. My Battalion's on Rio. Recuperating and restocking on supplies until we get back there. Command wanted some UNSC soldiers as security but…honestly, I think C-Sec would do better without us."

"Well, as long as your men follow the rules, you can bring as many ODSTs as you wish." He shook hands with Shepard again. "I'll catch you later Colonel."

* * *

Later Donnel Udina had returned to his office. It wasn't too bad actually. A nice desk, large surfaces, bookshelves for his collection and a nice view over the Presidium. It was a heck of a lot nicer than his own office back on Earth, as a member of the UEGs civilian assembly. His apartment here was lavish and large. Fitting for his status as humanities ambassador. The view from there was also amazing. Including a large bedroom, own bar, room for a large library of his own, common room, wine storage and the likes.

With a beep from the door it opened and his young Asari secretary entered. His original secretary had been delayed after getting sick. With her not expected to show up for at least two weeks, he played the diplomat and talked with the embassy staff for some good options. Today was her first day.

"Excuse me ambassador, Brigadier General Hessen is here to see you, though he doesn't have an appointment."

"That's okay Meila, let him in," Udina said.

"Yes ambassador," Meila said.

She disappeared out the doorway and a man, 1.6 meters in height walked in with decisive steps. The secretary closed the door behind him, leaving them alone.

Udina left his bookshelves and walked over to shake his hand. The Brigadier General accepted the ambassador's hand with a broad smile.

"So, this is where they're keeping you, Donnel," he said with a strong, hard voice.

"Somebody had to take the job," Udina answered simply. "Made since for it to be me. Just like it made since for you to that that logistical position under Lieutenant General Montgomery."

Hessen tensed up slightly in disagreement.

"I don't know about that," he said.

Udina turned towards the window in his office. "You're logistical wizarding saved many lives."

Hessen huffed. "Nobody remembers the logistical officer. Be he a genius or not."

He joined Udina by the window. The Ambassador chuckled lightly.

"Perhaps not, Ronald, but. Nobody fought for the fame. It was all about survival of of the human race," he said.

"Still is," Hessen added.

Udina waved that away dismissively.

"No, no," he disagreed. "The war is over Ronald. We have survived and prevailed. Now…" he raised a finger into the air and looked at the Marine General. "…we must look to the future. And that future is here."

"Do you really believe that?" Hessen asked dimly.

Udina nodded adamantly. "I do. We have obliterated the Covenant, scattered their remnants across what used to be known space, made peace-even allies-with the Sangheili. The Assembly considered a trade offer from a Jackal Merchant group on Eayn." He turned to face Hessen fully. "It is time to accept that not all aliens are devils hell-bent on our destruction."

"Not long ago you thought that too," Ronald snorted.

Udina nodded and grasped his hand together behind his back.

"I did," he fully admitted. "But times change. In February this very same year we encountered the Turians, yes the xeno-eh, err aliens I mean attacked us but in April we met the Asari and Salarians, and a whole new galaxy opens up to us. Now I am the elected human Ambassador by the United Earth Government. In that position, I cannot afford to alienate the Citadel races. Antagonizing them will lose us their support against Covenant splinter factions rising and the potential of trade."

Hessen crossed his arm hard across the chest and weight on his feet.

"Human strength brought us through the war, it will bring us through this conflict too," he spoke with confidence.

Udina sighed.

"This isn't a question of willpower Ronald. But does so many young boys and girls have to die fighting our old enemies? Why not begin working on a possible alliance. Can you imagine UNSC and Turian troops storming Jul Mdama's entrenched positions to help Arbiter Vadam claim all of Sanghelios?"

"No."

Udina sighed and walked over to his liquor cabinet.

"What do you prefer?" he asked in a more casual tone.

"I'll take whisky," Hessen gave a simple and to Udina-expected answer.

"You don't want anything more exotic?" He offered, though knowing the General he'd decline pretty quickly.

"Such as?" Hessen stepped closer, stopping by Udina's desk.

"Serrice Ice Brandy." Udina brought out a bottle and two glasses. "Expensive stuff."

Hessen furrowed his brow.

"Some xeno brandy? No thank you."

Udina got out a bottle of whisky and poured it into a glass. Then he poured himself a glass of Serrice Ice Brandy.

"Suit yourself." He handed Hessen his glass. The general corrected his small glasses before accepting it. He smutted it before bringing all of it down at once. Udina was gentler with his drink. "It is actually pretty good. Since human food and drink doesn't actually exist out here, I'm making do with the local liquor and food. Off course I've only been here for two days."

"I couldn't drink some alien fungoid juice," Hessen stated flatly.

Udina sighed.

Hessen looked out the large window again.

"I've been thinking of retiring," he explained.

Udina frowned.

"You? Retire?"

Hessen nodded.

Udina finished his Brandy and put the glass down on his desk. He then put a firm hand on Hessen's shoulder.

"The UNSC needs people like you Ronald," he said sincerely.

Hessen looked at him over his shoulder.

"I thought you believed the future to be alien friendly," he said dryly.

"I do," Udina confirmed. "But you're a veteran from the greatest war in human history. We need people like you in the military. Not newbies that didn't lift a finger during the war. Not people like Councilor Eric Harrison." He snorted at the mention of the name.

Hessen put his glass down on Udina's desk.

"Well, I haven't made up my mind yet. But I am one year away from sixty-five. The 4th Marine Expeditionary Force still needs a logistical officer. Those men and women are my family. I'm not doing anything until I know who would replace me." He looked at Udina. "I've come across rumors that Montgomery is retiring."

Udina arched his eyebrows with interest.

"Anthony is retiring?" He inquired.

"Only rumors, for now."

"Well, the man is seventy-eight. How much longer can he run the 4th anyway?" Udina questioned. "You've been a part of the Expeditionary Force since you graduated the training grounds on Mars when you were eighteen."

That caused Hessen to laugh.

"Damn," he laughed. "I'm really old, aren't I?"

Udina smirked. "Aren't we all Ronald?"

"It's been a good run. Marine all my life. I can't imagine Montgomery's post going to anyone but me. I have the experience and those are my boys and girls fighting out there. I'm not gonna let some upshot newbie officer take over. If it doesn't fall to me, I'm going to fight to ensure they get a good man in command."

Hessen clapped his firm hands together. "I have to go Donnel, but it was good to see you. We'll do it again soon."

"I will keep some Serrice Ice Brandy stashed away in case you change your mind then," Udina offered with a smirk.

"Don't keep your hopes up," was Hessen's last sentence before walking out the door.

 **27** **th** **June 2554**

 **Attican Traverse, Mining colony of Gadd orbit**

 **Colonial Administrative building**

Kaaldrumee was pacing back and forth as he read the engineering teams report. They only had the DDS class Carrier left for repairs. It had been started but it would take around two weeks. Without any Huragok everything took longer. It made Kaaldrumee partially longing for the easy days of the middle years of the war, before his faith crumbled. Before most other Sangheili's did, to add in. they always had Huragok's on board to repair after and during battles with the humans.

He raised his head when Revazum entered the room. He clicked his mandibles.

"Give me good news Orn, that's an order," he said.

"I'm afraid I must disobey, Arbiter," Revazum said apologetically.

Kaaldrumee sighed. "Let's hear it."

Revazum handed him a datapad.

"Here."

It was the report from the bomb that detonated two hours ago. It was the third since they arrived. Somebody was working hard against them. The first time three Unggoy and a Kig-yar had died. He gave the Turian colonists a stern warning, hoping the responsible would cease the activity. The second time he lost two Sangheili and five Unggoy. Two Turian civilians was wounded and a small child died. Whoever was responsible, he or they thought little enough to sacrifice their peers to kill his men. The little Turian boy had been eight years old. He had Revazum round of twenty random civilians and force their loved ones to flog them. If they didn't, his Sangheili would.

He read through the now third bombing. The first two had been aircar. This one was am airtruck with fuel. It had been placed in the main square. A gathering point for the locals. Twelve Unggoy was dead, four wounded, five Kig-yar, ten wounded and six Sangheili was dead with an additional eight wounded. Since the square was a Turian gathering point for daily business and to meet friends. There were a significant number of dead locals. Twenty-five dead and forty-eight wounded. The numbers including females and children.

"Governor Baldrick send a broadcast to the town folk," Revazum explained. Kaaldrumee nodded. He had heard it. "Pleading with the bomber to stop before he takes more innocent Turian lives. What is more surprising, the local law enforcement officers offered to talk to their peers and help track down the bomber."

"That isn't so surprising," Kaaldrumee claimed. "Their families and friends are all at stake. Since the guilty doesn't care how many Turians he murders when killing our men, they are all at risk of dying." He threw the report away. "Increase patrols and have the Governor broadcast that no one will be allowed outside after seven PM, local time."

Revazum nodded.

Kaaldrumee felt lucky that Gadd was such a minor colony, and on the far reaches of Hierarchy space. It meant that no one had been here to check on the colony yet. If they were really lucky, they wouldn't be discovered until they had left the the Turians communicated with their government. By then it would obviously be too late. Then they had to consider their next move.

 **27** **th** **June 2554**

 **Mars, small city of Gravelcreek**

 **Local bar**

Major William Kent drowned his ten or eleventh drink of the evening. He was drunk, tired and if his hair was any indication, he was a mess. He had tried getting laid for almost every woman that walked through the door but without success. The tense ODST officer was on his last day of permission. He was going back into it soon. His Company would leave Mars and deploy to an Elite colony on some peacekeeping. Fucking peacekeeping on an Elite planet? If that didn't take the kick…the Elites may be their allies, but he wasn't going to forget all the teammates he had lost since joining the UNSC ten years ago. No sir!

He'd never forget how his Platoon was ambushed by the Elite assholes. They had marched along with forty-seven guys after losing one to a sniper a few days prior. The Elites came out of the woodwork with energy swords and gutted them, or shooting them down at point blank range. Out of forty-seven men, William was the only one to make it out, but only cause they thought he was dead. Forty-seven ODSTs and they only managed to kill five Elites in the ambush. Everything went so fucking fast!

"Sorry buddy," the bartender said. "But I'm cutting ya off. You've had quite enough, aye."

William grumbled to himself and staggered out of the bar.

And now these new xenos rolling in and doesn't fight. Well, a little. And the UEG believed in the whole _'peaceful xenos'_ bullshit. This would never have happened under military rule. Giving back power to the civvies was the worst mistake Lord Hood and his folk ever did.

Not too far away an attractive woman watched him. She reached for her earpiece.

" _How you made contact Operative Lawson?"_ Jack Harper asked.

"No. He's drunk and in no state to talk," she explained.

" _I see,"_ Harper said mindfully. _"Wait and watch for now. But I need you to reach him sooner rather than later."_

"Understood."


	5. Chapter 5 New comrades

Halo New galaxy Ch5 New Comrades

 **28** **th** **June 2554**

 **Inner Citadel space, Citadel, Presidium**

 **Everlasting Night Bar**

Ren looked over to the entrance to his bar as three newcomers arrived. Humans. He blinked with interest. He had never served humans before, barely seen them in fact. Rumors said that a lot of humans were xenophobes. Off course he never paid attention to rumors but, they had to start from something. Some small truth. But with Everlasting Night being a popular bar for C-Sec on the Presidium he wasn't worried about a fight. They wasn't going to let anyone wreck their favorite hangout.

"Hello there," Ren Plik greeted the humans openly. "Welcome to Everlasting Night, the perfect place to get a drink on the Presidium. Including getting a bite to eat if you're hungry."

His friendly gesture fell on deaf ears as Major Hathaway and his men didn't even pay him any attention until they sat down at the bar and had to talk to him.

"So, what you got xeno?" Hathaway asked.

Ren ignored being called xeno and moved on with a smile.

"Almost everything you could think of," he assured him. "Except-"

The major interrupted him.

"Whisky, two and a beer for the kid," he gestured to the youngest of them. The man glared at his superior but stayed quite.

Ren thought carefully about his answer.

"Never heard of Beer, or whisky. Sorry," he apologized. "I don't-"

"What the hell you got that?" The annoyed major asked.

Ren cleared his throat.

"As I was trying to say, I don't have human drinks, which I presume those were. But I do have everything form Turian Brandy-" the men snorted in disgust of the mention of the Turians. "-to Ryncol."

"Ryn-what?" The man beside Hathaway asked, frowning.

Ren waved him off.

"Krogan drink. Strongest on the Citadel actually. Probably the only one the Citadel. At least the Presidium. It wasn't my best business idea to buy those boxes. Give that Krogan usually aren't allowed up here and nobody else-almost-drinks the stuff." He put a datapad in front of Hathaway. He's the full menu."

"Ryncol sounds like our stuff," Hathaway decided. "Three glasses. Now."

"I don't think I could give it do you in good conscious," the bartender explained.

"Why the fuck not?" Hathaway demanded. Angrily.

"I don't even know if you can drink it. It's lethal for Volus and-and-"

"Do I look Volus to you?" Hathaway grabbed the Salarian by the color of his shirt and half-pulled him over the bar.

"Easy, sir," one of the ODST tried.

The scene caused enough stir to make three Turians in C-Sec armor to spot the situation.

"Not these guys again," Garrus groaned. "It's been a fragging day." He cleared his throat as he and his two colleges strolled over. "Okay guys, put Ren down."

Hathaway recognized Garrus and glared daggers at him. He let go of Ren and stood and stared at Garrus. He had a challenging look. Garrus could tell he was waiting for a reason to fight. Unfortunately he had to give it to him.

"Time to leave, now," Garrus said.

But Hathaway shook his head vehemently. "You have to knock me out for that xeno."

'There it was,' Garrus thought. If these guys wanted a fight, it was time to give them one. He was taking them into custody. His trail of thought was interrupting by a groan from Ren.

"More humans, grand," the Salarian bar owner groaned.

A human female in her early forties had entered. Her blonde hair was snagged entirely on the left side on her head and her dark brown eyes looked at the obvious conflict warily. She wore cargo pants and a dark green sleeveless shirt that showed off her muscular arms, her abs and her muscular form overall. She was definitely the tallest human Garrus had seen so far. With over two meter in height, she was standing above the three ODSTs and the Turian C-Sec officers.

"Beating a xenos no crime in the UNSC," Hathaway said with finality.

"You're not inside UNSC space," an officer informed him warningly.

"Which means you are under arrest," Garrus said and stepped forward. He reached out towards the Major.

As expected the Major threw the first punch. Garrus blocked his fist and raised his arm to block a second blow. At the same time the soldier on his right rushed the officer standing opposite him. The third officer helped taking down the man. When Garrus blocked a kick he saw the third and youngest soldier backing off. Thankfully he was smart enough to avoiding fighting local law enforcement.

Garrus kneed Hathaway in the groin and punched him square in the jaw. The tall human woman ran into the midst of the fight and to Garrus relief grabbed Hathaway's arm and held them firmly behind his back.

"Fuck you doing, Pam!? What the fuck!" Hathaway cried out at her in shock and rising frustration.

He kicked, twisted and jumped around for five seconds to get lose. That was, until the female-Pam-used her strength and body weight to force him down on his stomach.

"Just stay down, York," she told him with a hard commanding voice. "You've already caused a potential interplanetary incident."

"You just striked a commanding officer! I'll have end your career!" Hathaway was screaming bloody murder.

Garrus looked to the other soldier and saw him restraint by the two officers. He wasn't quieter and accepted the fact he had been handcuffed. Looking at his face, Garrus could clearly see that he realized how bad an idea this fight was.

Garrus took a knee beside Hathaway and Pam and while she moved slightly, he handcuffed the major.

"Next time," another Turian suggested. "Don't start a fight in our favorite bar. Some friendly advice buddy." He patted the human on the back and picked him up off the floor. He looked at Garrus. "Well, this one could be problematic." They both turned their gaze to Major Hathaway.

"I'll end your career!" Hathaway cried.

"We'll see what Shepard thinks about all this, **sir** ," Pam replied simply. She looked a bit smug. She got up and pulled Hathaway with her. "Need some help escorting him to your lockup, sir?" She asked for whichever C-Sec officer would respond.

"We got him, but thanks for offering," one of them assured her with a smile. "We'll escort him." he turned his head to Garrus. "Catch you later Vakarian."

They pulled the furious and screaming human and the other one away outside into their aircar to get him down to C-Sec headquarters. The third ODST who hadn't actually done more than being present was allowed to leave. Ren offered him a free glass of Turian Brandy.

The muscular and tall human female turned to Garrus and snapped off a salute.

"Captain Pamela Hendricks, UNSC," she introduced herself.

Garrus returned the salute.

"Garrus Vakarian, C-Sec. uh, stands for-"

"Citadel Security Services," she finished. "I read up before we got here."

"You work with, eh…him." He nudged his head towards the door.

"Yes," Hendricks confirmed.

"Serve under Lieutenant Colonel Shepard?" He asked.

She nodded firmly.

"Correct. I command ODST Bravo Company, Hathaway Vector Company." She exchanged her smile for a harder face. "I know it's no excuse for his behavior, but he lost everything in the war. When he was six his parents was killed on board a Carrier. His mother was the CO and fathers in charge of engineering. He grew up with one of his uncles, until he deployed got KIA." She paused. And gestured if they should sit down.

Garrus responded with a nod. He was interested to hear the sad story behind the Majors behavior. The picked an empty round table with soft leather sown into the chairs backs.

"He moved in with his other uncle, an ONI scientist. Between being ten and sixteen his three sisters and two brothers was all reported KIA," she continued. He joined up himself when he got to the big sixteen. Age requirements got lowered from eighteen since the need for manpower was so great. That ONI uncle? Got killed the years he sighed up with the Marine Corps back on Reach."

Garrus leaned forward.

"No family left?"

"Not after Covenant glassed Reach," she replied solemnly.

Garrus frowned, uncertain if he wanted to know. But he asked anyway.

"Glassing? What's that, exactly?"

She took a deep breath. "Well," she said in profession voice. "The Covenant annihilated a lot of our planets during the war. Wiped out every living being, plant, animal, everything. We called it glassing since they left nothing left afterwards but glass. Planets became uninhabitable. With no plants to sustain life."

Garrus was disgusted and horrified to hear that. He couldn't even imagine what the UNSC had been through. What kind of war they had fought.

Before he could think of an answer worthy of using after that revelation, she said, "I have to go. Should probably inform Colonel Shepard and Ambassador Udina about the mess Major Hathaway potentially caused."

"Off course. I'll see you around Captain," he said and added a firm nod.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Vaelor looked over the terrace from the Presidium commons where he currently sat with an amazing view of the Citadel. As always it was sprawling with life. Across from him sat his counterpart for the United Earth Government. Ambassador Udina. It was still the ambassadors third day on the Citadel and he wasn't sure to any of it yet. Just getting where he was trying to go would be a nightmare if he didn't have people who knew that. His secretary Meila had all eyes on what he did not.

Udina swallowed the piece of meat he chowed.

"Hmm. This is pretty tasty," he admitted.

"Then I won't tell you what it is," Ambassador Vaelor joked.

Udina chuckled lightly.

"If we were to continue yesterday's discussion on those Mass Relays of yours," Udina said, sipping from a glass of red wine from France, 2468.

"We could," Vaelor supposed. "I'm just going to reiterate that the Citadel would accept a trade treaty involving us showing you how to use the Mass Relays, if, your people provided us with Slipspace technology. It is quite superior to our present FTL capabilities."

"Hmm," Udina responded. "And I'd have to respond by saying that the military and ONI portion of the assembly would never allow our Slipspace technology to fall into your hands."

"We are supposed to strive towards peaceful coexistence and cooperation," Vaelor said.

"And after twenty-eight years of war, we're skeptical to trust any aliens. The civilians are more or less willing, but they need to be unified in that if the military portion aren't to vote them down. Plus, a lot of Councilors believe that the military will reassume its dictatorial control if they disagree with the civilian portions future doctrine." Udina eat some interesting vegetables on his plate.

"Then, I would said that we could always negotiate with someone else," the Salarian said.

"With whom, I'd say, chuckling at the ridiculous statement," Udina followed swift. "The Jackals will swindle you, the Brutes will butcher you and the Sangheili-"

"Are establishing an embassy on the Citadel," Vaelor interrupted.

Udina stopped and stared at the Salarian.

"What?" He asked.

"I see you hadn't heard. But yes indeed. Arbiter Vadam agreed to dispatch a diplomatic delegation for long term relations with the Citadel. In fact, they seem open to the idea of trade."

Vaelor continued eating calmly.

Udina stared for a few moments more before breaking free from his trance.

"I see," he said.

If the Sangheili gave them slipspace drives it could push humanity out of the equation and make the Sword of Sanghelios the Citadel races main trading partner. For Udina that meant that humanity had to hurry up and sign a treaty of some importance with the Council. The treaties signed at Shanxi was barely finalized and was extremely lose in their meaning. Especially the treaty of cooperation. In basis, it meant the UNSC agreed to help the Citadel races battle any remnant faction encroaching on their territory, but in reality, they had promised nothing. Which Vaelor knew signing it with them, but it was a-tiny bug-step in the right direction. But it seemed time was running out for the UNSC to make their move.

"You should definitely try this fish next time," Vaelor suggested.

"I do miss the fresh Salmon from back home," Udina told him. "Maybe this alien fish is a good substitute."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It had been an hour since Shepard found out his XO had been arrested in a local bar. He knew York Hathaway had problems with aliens but he never thought he'd disobey orders to quell his little thirst. Was he slipping? He should have realized Hathaway couldn't handle it and ordered him to ship off the station back to Rio and the rest of the 29th with the rest of the Sky Hoppers, as his Battalion called themselves.

If he wasn't brought up on charged he'd put him on the first UNSC transport out of here and he considered demoting him. He wouldn't accept this kind of bullshit pulled by a Company commander. When you went up the ranks you lost the privilege of starting stupid xenophobic fights. In fact, being an ODST held you to a higher standard than the Army, Marines and Navy boys. He didn't count Spartans since they obviously were the best of the best. And the best of the best was always held to a higher standard.

Although a lot of ODSTs didn't like Spartans he didn't mind them. Never really had. Granted when he became an ODST he was swept up with the hatred for a while but then he served alongside a few Spartans. That changed his mind about them.

But right now he'd do almost anything to not think about York and his stupidity. Going to a local bar seemed a damn good idea. "Everlasting Night". Name didn't sound too bad, after he got it translated by a friendly bystander. A short guy in a dark brown suit, with a rather ball-like figure. But he didn't know the species name. He had been briefed on the major races, and gotten info about the rest but he hadn't gotten through it all yet.

The lighting inside was dim, dark blue light that lighted the place up well enough. Tables was placed out inside, some small two person round and a few long for dozens of people. A few employees moved about, a few people was sitting and eating, or just enjoying a drink. Behind the bar stood a Salarian.

He seemed happy and chipper enough. Until he saw Shepard. His smile fell for a moment. He muttered something that sounded like, "Another human". He put together that this was the bar where York and PFC Örjan tried punching the local law enforcement. Thankfully Corporal Negan had been smart enough to stay out of it. Captain Hendricks intervention probably saved some problems, and might have shown a few minds that not all humans were dicks. Just a few of them.

"Colonel!" He heard the familiar voice of Vakarian.

Shepard turned and saw the Turian approaching him from a small round table.

"Vakarian," Shepard shook his hand and smiled. "Had some problem getting here, till I asked that AI…"

He noticed Garrus frowning. Than he got it. "OH, Avina, she's a VI, not an AI."

"That like, a dumb AI?" Shepard asked.

"More or less," Garrus supposed. It sounded about right anyway. "If dumb AIs mean that she's not sentient, just a smart program, no self or that Ai stuff."

Shepard had to smirk.

"You're not an AI expert, are you Vakarian?"

Garrus laughed.

"Not one bit. What obvious?"

"'Fraid so."

Garrus gestured for them both to sit down and half turned to the bar.

"What you drinking?"

"Eh, I don't know any of your drinks, so…surprise me."

Garrus grinned and waved at Ren behind the bar.

"Get us two bottles of Turian Brandy and two glasses!"

"Off course Officer Vakarian," Ren acknowledged with a smile.

Shepard took another look around the comfy bar. He saw a few Turians and Salarians sitting at a table. Although they didn't wear their armor and C-Sec equipment, they had the look of law enforcement over them. To the trained eye anyway. One of them had several scars on his face, battle scars.

"So, how is it working for C-Sec Vakarian?" Shepard asked.

"First, call me Garrus, saves time, secondly, apart for the occasionally wall of red tape, and more and more red tape as far as the eye can see, not too bad." He shrugged lightly. "Got excellent equipment, training, best personnel."

"Fair enough," Shepard referred to the first. "Then call me John." Garrus nodded. "Hard to get employed here, I'm guessing."

Garrus nodded and leaned over the table.

"You bet. This is as prestigious as it gets around here. Firstly you need you need to convince a Councilor or Ambassador to even get a shot at all the interviews and psych-evaluations. Then, almost everyone who applies has to have years of distinguished service in the military or as law enforcement. Only in except rare exceptions has it happened somebody got in without it."

"I'm guessing they had to show exceptional talent for that to happen," Shepard guessed.

"You bet John," Garrus confirmed it. He gestured up in the air with his hands. "Most rookies start out here, in the calm Presidium. Putting green recruits into a Ward might turn lethal in a bad situation. Getting the rookie, senior officers or even civilians killed."

Shepard looked the Turian up and down.

"You don't strike me as a rookie," he remarked.

"Good catch," Garrus smiled faintly. "I was on the Zakara ward up till a month ago. Transferred back here after a fatal shooting took five experienced veterans from us. With a batch of new officers arriving, HQ needed someone to take their place. Someone with equal years of experience."

Shepard nodded solemnly. "I'm-" he started but paused when Ren came over with a tray with two glasses and two bottles of Turian Brandy.

"Enjoy gentlemen," he said politely with a smile.

"I'm sorry," Shepard continued. "What happened?"

Garrus released a sigh and shook his head.

"C-Sec got a call about a guy with an assault rifle strolling down the street towards an apartment section. Send down three officers to check it out. It was an old Salarian, former STG. Went off the radar four years ago without a peep to his loved ones." He shifted slightly in his seat. "He started opening up on the guys the moment he saw them. Clipped one of them in the arm. They called for backup and kept up the firing to keep him from targeting the innocent bystanders that was still scrambling for safety."

He paused and opened the bottle and poured until his glass was full. He drank about a fourth of it.

"When reinforcements arrived they followed in inside the apartment building. The injured officer stayed outside with medical personal that arrived as the backup did. Anyway they followed him into his apartment, after putting two rounds in his leg on the way up. They…they hacked the door panel and then…bang. Old bastard had rigged something in his apartment, blew it up. Thankfully it wasn't large enough to break the walls and injury and innocent but it did kill the officers. Except the lucky one who got shot in the arm. If he hadn't been shot, he'd have died with the others."

Garrus leaned back and took a deep breath. "Getting shot was his lucky break."

"Damn," Shepard took it in. "Why did he, do you know?"

Garrus shook his head. "No idea. Whatever made him do it, probably happened during his four year absence. In this job I've learned that sometimes it doesn't take much to tip some people over, and that some people are just all-out nuts."

"Amen to that," Shepard raised his glass after pouring it full.

"Amen?"

The Colonel shook his head. "Cheer, ok?"

Garrus smirked. "I can get behind that."

They hit their glasses together and Garrus emptied his while Shepard left half remaining.


	6. Chapter 6 Shipping out

Halo New galaxy Ch6 Shipping out

 **28** **th** **June 2554**

 **Shanxi colony, edge of UNSC space**

 **Echo base**

Crimson lead was dressed in her full armor when she walked through the door into Vice Admiral Petra Hammond's officer. Mira locked eyes on the Vice Admiral and stood to attention, throwing up her arm in a firm salute.

"Spartan Mira-305 reporting, sir!"

The late fifties Admiral continued writing on her computer.

"At ease Petty Officer," she said, barely paying her any attention.

Wearing her dark red and black patterned armor, she locked her hands together behind her back and remained quiet until addressed.

The Admiral's office wasn't containing much more then things needed for comfort and containing to her work as a Vice Admiral. There weren't more than a few pictures on her desk that could be put under the personal effects category. Since this wasn't a permanent posting Mira assumed she didn't have much with her. Just pictures that might contain her family. So she mused anyway. Personally she didn't have a picture of anybody, not that she had anyone to take a picture of. Her family was long dead. she didn't even remembered their faces anymore.

Fifteen seconds went by in silence until Hammond looked up. She gestured to the chair on the other side of the desk, in front of Mira.

"I would offer you a seat Mira, but I've never had a Spartan actually sit down when I've offered in the past so, let's skip that." She cracked a faint smile. It quickly faded away. "Spartan Mira, we've had word that the colony of Rio is under assault."

Mira tensed up slightly. Rio. She knew that a splinter faction involved in the Sangheili Civil War had been active in that region of space. A Covenant Remnant group commanded by an alien named Jul Mdama.

"Storm troops ma'am?" Mira asked.

Hammond nodded.

"Correct. HIGHCOM has suspected an assault against Rio for months now, which is why we have a Division of Marines dirtside already. Twenty thousand marines with air and ground support equipment and vehicles. Three Autumn class Heavy Cruisers and a Poseidon class Light Carrier in orbit should be enough to dispense any normal sized flotilla we've seen from the Storm so far."

The suspicion had arisen from a lot of ex-Covie activity in the region for some time. Such as scouting parties in it and nearby systems.

That made perfect sense to Mira. The different factions was putting most of their forces into battling each other in and around Sangheili space. The Storm had a decent presence on Sanghelios itself even. If they attack with a force that four starships and a whole Division couldn't handle, it meant they needed something. An artifact from the Forerunners perhaps?

"I'm ready to deploy my team immediately, ma'am," Mira said firmly.

"Excellent. Prepare your men to board the _Reunification_ within the hour," Hammond ordered.

Mira nodded. "Yes, sir."

She knew _Reunification_ was Hammond's own flagship. A Punic class Super Carrier. Which meant she was coming along to Rio. For command to send their space command presence from the Mass Relay to Citadel space elsewhere meant this was definitely serious and worrying some top wigs.

Personally, Mira was just happy Rear Admiral Bauer was staying behind and Hammond was leaving with the fleet for Rio. Or how many ships she brought. She could very well leave Shanxi defenseless. They never knew if their new found 'friendly' aliens was actually friendly. Much as well attack when they turn their back.

Anyways, **Admiral** Rock Bauer had been a paper pusher during the war. He had led two fleet engagements against the Covenant, sorta. The first time, back in 2530 he commanded a fleet with fourteen ships against a Covenant fleet of thirty-eight. He withdrew from the system without firing a shot. It had left the six thousand colonists and two Battalions of marines to fight until they were all dead. And so they did. No one survived. He was reprimanded by High Command but since they had no experienced officers nearby to assume command of his small fleet it was decided he would maintain command but avoid similar actions in the future.

Seven months later he launched a rescue operation against the colony world of Castile. He successfully evacuated forty thousand civvies to an uninhabited planet. From it they would travel to a colony, but first ensure they weren't followed. He skirmished with the Covenant in the meantime, although he commanded the evac himself and had a Captain lead the skirmish. At the time he commanded almost forty ships after the defending fleets CO died and was absorbed into his own command. When the Covenant fleet arrived in force, he left his skirmishing fleet to fight on their own, with the loss of all ships and crew. It didn't take the ONI officer on board send word back to Earth and then relieve him of command and grant it to someone more capable.

He claimed he felt the evacuation more important than engaging the Covenant or even give orders to his skirmish fleet. But his crew was just happy to see him relieved. He was later demoted and placed indefinite desk duty.

Hammond looked down at her desk and picked up one of the pictures. Then she looked at Mira.

"You know, I have five children. No matter how old they are, they'll be my little boys and girls," she looked down at the picture. "All five joined up and fought in the war."

"Most be proud ma'am," Mira said.

Hammond smiled faintly.

"Quite. Two boys, three girls." She took a deep breath, and breathed out gently. "All gave their lives for humanity. As did two of my grandkids. Eighteen and eighteen respectively. Twins."

Mira wasn't sure how it came to her being the precipitant of this emotional conversation. She suspected that the twins may have died on Rio though. Did they ever fight there in the war? She didn't have every single engagement in her head, but maybe. Either way, she was pretty sure she was about to find out.

"My last granddaughter's an ODST. Made me proud as hell, as would it have made her mother, had she survived long enough." Mira heard a hint of emotion in her voice, starting to break through. "She's made a Company CO she said on her chip from two weeks ago. She's waiting for a promotion for Captain to get pushed through. Paper works slow sometimes, you know."

"I wouldn't know ma'am. Never got a promotion. Spartan and all."

Hammond chuckled lightly, almost forced.

"Right. Either way, to end this rant of sorry Petty Officer," she said, straightening her back. "Her Company is deployed on Rio. 29th Sky Hopper Battalion. Serves under a veteran officer." She looked silently at Mira. "Dismissed. Get your people ready."

Mira saluted.

"Yes ma'am."

She departed and left the sixty-seven year old Vice Admiral to look at the picture with her only living grandchild. She was surprisingly young for a woman with a grandchild in her early twenties, but she got pregnant with her mother early. As did her mother, resulting in a little girl named Daniella. Her oldest daughter was the only one with children. The other didn't have any before they died. Maybe for the best since losing a parent was devastating for a child. With her last remaining grandchild on a planet under attack, Hammond was relieved that she was the one asked to reinforce the planets fleet and garrison.

 **28** **th** **June 2554**

 **Inner Citadel space, Citadel, Presidium**

 **Human Embassy**

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Shepard roared in anger.

Major York Hathaway looked down at his boots. He had just been released from lockup. Top wigs had agreed to avoid a diplomatic incident by not pressing charges as long as he left the Citadel that very same day. With the Lt. Colonel Shouting at him for five minutes Hathaway knew he'd messed up. He looked out right miserable and ashamed.

"I have no excuse, sir," he said shamefully. "I'm a disgrace for the Corps."

"Damn right you are!" Shepard completely agreed. "You came this close to start a diplomatic incident that could rock our relations with her new alien pals severely." Shepard paced up and down in front of him. "Not to get started on showing that humans are xenophobic maniacs with no self-control!"

Hathaway stood and silently took it.

"You are an ODST Captain, York!" Shepard turned completely to him and stopped pacing. "That was a dumb rookie mistake. A mistake a rookie would do, a marine rookie, not an ODST, letting his emotions control his every action!"

"Yes, sir," Hathaway murmured.

"Do you have any idea how lucky you are you're not on trial? That you're not going to prison?" He sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead. "Don't think you're not getting any repercussions from this. When we're here, re represent the UNSC. Get your gear ready for departure in two hours from Dock 44."

"Yes, sir!"

"We're all leaving. Not just you and Örjan." That caused Hathaway to frown his auburn thick eyebrows. "Rio is under attack so we're hauling ass back there."

"What? W-who's attacking?" Hathaway asked.

"Brigadier General Hessen told me it's a faction from the Covie Separatist Civil War. Didn't give me a full name of the guy in charge," Shepard explained shortly. "I don't like my Battalion fighting without us." He wanted be back there right now in fact. Not here.

Hathaway nodded understandingly. "Sir. I am certain that Keegan and Wu knows what they're doing. Even Cornfield has a good head on her shoulders. Keegan's gonna keep 'em alive for us."

Shepard smiled slightly and put a hand on his XOs shoulder.

"Let's get ready."

"Gladly, sir." He knew Shepard wouldn't be keen on forgetting this huge fuckup. Although the brass wanted it gone Shepard wouldn't forget. It would be a thorn in their friendship for a long time. If it didn't all-out kill it.

* * *

Udina was in a meeting with the Citadel Council and Brigadier General Hessen used his office temporarily. He sat behind his desk and faced a screen with Vice Admiral Hammond and the Commanding officer of the Rio Marine Division on it.

The aging Admiral looked determined and steadfast and Lt. General Horus looked composed, calm and like she'd already been in battle. Her uniform was dirty and she had an assault rifle lying on the desk she was standing behinds right side. It was one of the traits that had made Horus so popular and famous with her troops and the UNSC in general. Her willingness to get stuck in it and even fight with her men. Her HQ was always close to the front, never far away at a safe distance.

The chocolate skin general leaned forward and clenched her fists slightly.

"Ronald," she said.

"How's it looking there, Daniella?" Hammond asked first. The general shared a name with her granddaughter. "What can you tell us?"

Horus cleared her throat as explosions could be heard in the back ground.

"There's been a development since my first message to HIGHCOM," she explained.

"How so?" Hessen asked in a gathered voice.

"More ex-Covie ships arrived an hour ago," Horus told them. "But they are attacking the other ex-Covie ships."

It caused Hessen and Hammond to raise their eyebrows in surprise.

"Another faction," Hessen realized.

Horus nodded. "Right. They landed troops dirtside, but we've only had skirmishes with 'em yet. Can't say who they are. Aerial Squadrons say they been fighting the Storm troops from Mdama's ships." It was confirmed then, Hessen thought. Mdama's faction. "The Storm's been pushing hard against our lines around the capital. We're holding though."

"What of the ODST Battalion?" Hammond asked stone-faced. "29th Sky Hoppers?"

Horus smiled. "ODSTs halted the sixth wave and Captain Keegan, acting CO in Colonel Shepard's absence, led a swift counterattack and destroyed a column of heavy vehicles with minimal casualties. It gave us a few hours to breathe, but we expect a seventh wave in the next few hours."

"Who holds air superiority?" Hessen asked.

"Neither side. We're all fighting to maintain a statement right now. I'd love some aerial superiority but we lack the numbers so a statement will have to do. Long as they don't have it."

Hessen nodded in agreement. He wondered by Mdama would attack now. Wasn't he and everybody else busy fighting for control of the Sangheili homeworld or the rest of former Covenant space? If there was a Forerunner artifact on Rio that would certainly do it. That would warrant a detachment of troops and ships to go here. Since it wasn't a planetary invasion and just a concentrated effort in this one region, it made even more sense.

"Petra, how many ships will you bring?" Horus asked.

"Ten ships," Hammond replied. "Five Charon Light Frigates, four Autumn Heavy Cruisers with a Punic Super Carrier acting as the command ship. Tell me about the new fleets ships?"

"Twelve, but with the heavy combat between the two ex-Covie fleets, I expect those numbers to lower soon, both of them."

"Good. Let them fight it out before you do anything to risk your own ships," Hammond said.


	7. Chapter 7 Cooperation

Halo New galaxy Ch7 Cooperation

 **30** **th** **June 2554**

 **Attican Traverse, Mining colony of Gadd orbit**

 **Improvised Landing zone**

Kaaldrumee oversaw the transfer of ore from the mine onto a Phantom that would take it up to their small fleet orbiting Gadd. It had now been eleven days since they assumed control over the colony. Just eleven days. It would take time to repair the DDS Carrier. He couldn't help but worry about being discovered soon. Off course he knew his brave soldiers could destroy any Turian assault to reclaim this colony but he didn't have the manpower to waste in a prolonged ground operation. With a COS Super Carried filled with vehicles and troops you would think he could, but in a prolonged operation hundreds, probably thousands could die and he needed every one of them. If he couldn't return to former Covenant space with force he would never gain a volunteers to fill his ranks. He had to show power. Otherwise he was doomed to failure and his claimed position as Arbiter would be nothing but a foolish notion.

There had been some progress on the bomber. From everyone in the town being a suspect it went down to only a few hundred. It was always something to go from nine hundred to three. There hadn't been another bombing since the last. Thankfully. No new soldiers murdered in cold blood. Not to mention civilian casualties that at this point was higher than his own dead and wounded.

While they had been here he had been able to gather information by hacking their computer systems and interviewing locals about this new region for space. About the species here. He was interested in the species known as Batarian, Vorcha and Krogan. They seemed like typical soldier races. He appalled the Batarian practice of slavery, as like he appalled the Covenant practice of enslaving the Unggoy. He believed free males fought harder and better than those living in slavery. This was a part of the new reign he wanted to bring to the ex-Covenant races. It was an intentional maneuver away from the conservative factions.

His information on the Vorcha left some to be desired. They seemed more like cannon fodder than anything else. But the Krogan, oh these Krogan seemed to be real warriors. Not to mention they had a mercenary culture in part. It would make it easy to get a large Krogan following if he could ever reach Tuchanka. With an army of Krogan at his command no one could stand before him. With shield and weapons tech from him, it would make his Krogan army unbeatable.

Off course he was concerned about how the Citadel would react. When he finally destroyed every other faction and took Sanghelios he would have to interact with them. Keeping them on his side would also keep the UNSC at bay.

His communicator chimed.

"Yes, what do you have to report my friend?" He asked.

" _Arbiter,"_ Revazum replied. _"Concord of Justice detected a Turian Frigate come out from the Relay."_

"Dammit," he cursed. "Have them destroy it. It mustn't report back."

" _I am afraid it is too late,"_ Revazum said regrettably. _"The ship jumped through the Relay before they could intercept. It won't be long until the Turian dispatch a fleet to reclaim this world."_

"Hmm. regrettable. We may have to withdraw soon."

" _But why?"_ Revazum asked. _"There kinetic barriers is nothing against our ships. We can cut through them with ease."_

Kaaldrumee frowned with disapproval.

"This is why I lead and you follow, Orn," he growled. "If we destroy a whole Turian fleet it will worsen relations in the future. They will be hesitant to trust us when we take power on Sanghelios. They might side with an enemy faction instead of us."

" _I…see,"_ Revazum contemplated.

Kaaldrumee was thinking far ahead. But Revazum himself thought it better to concentrate on the present first. Defeating all factions would take years. Potentially decades. A lot of them had far greater military power then them. Most considered them neutralized already. They had already occupied a Turian planet, wouldn't this worsen relations already? Even though Kaaldrumee believed that since the Turians was a militaristic species they would eventually understand, he wasn't so sure about it. It seemed wishful thinking on his friend's part.

" _What about the Light of Fied?_ " The general asked, referring to the DDS class Carrier.

"If we cannot finish repairs we must move on. It can still put up a tough fight. Its hangars are full with Starfighters and Phantoms," Kaaldrumee said.

" _Shall I prepare a retreat?"_ Revazum asked.

"No. Speed up the men in the mines and have Phantoms and Troop transports on standby, but nothing else."

" _Understood Arbiter,"_ Revazum vowed.

 **30** **th** **June 2554**

 **Inner Council space, Citadel, Presidium**

 **Human Embassy**

Udina was sitting at his desk with Hessen pacing back and forth.

"This is the reason we shouldn't cooperate with aliens," he stated fuming. "They will just demand things from us." He looked at Udina. "We are not there puppets."

"Nobody things we are," Udina tried calming him.

"Oh really? The demand our assistance at the first sign of trouble," he sneered.

"Because they know the UNSC are familiar with fighting ex-Covenant troops and ships," he explained simply. "Not to mention that our technology is superior to theirs. Their ships won't stand long against a Super Carrier."

Hessen stopped pacing and turned to him fully.

"If you hadn't rewritten the cooperation treaty we wouldn't have needed to do shit!"

"And we would look like we will break any treaty when it suits us," Udina tried to sound diplomatic. "The galaxy has changed, and the UNSC needs allies. We need to help them to not get on the Citadel's bad side."

Hessen crossed his arms and snorted loudly.

"You are too eager to play nice with the Council," he said disapprovingly. "This is the time for military might to speak for us."

Udina sighed. "And that statement is why I'm happy the UEG has been granted back authority."

The ambassador got up and walked over to his liquor cabinet. He opened it and brought out a dark green bottle. He took out a small glass and filled it.

"Not making that a habit, are you?" Hessen asked.

"Military bravado and macho talk always gets me to the point where I need a drink," Udina said dryly.

"That military bravado and macho stuff saved humanity from a genocidal war." Hessen looked rather smug.

Udina was starting to have enough of his old friend's constant xenophobia and anti-civilized stance. With a deeply furrowed brow on his face he turned around and emptied his glass. He put it down with a thud.

"In case you forget I was fighting in the trenches of the Outer colonies when the war began. I crawled through mud, muck and blood of different colors. But times have changed." He stepped towards Hessen. "I hate the Covenant as much as every other human does. But the Citadel isn't the Covenant. It's gone and if the military continues down the road of being arrogantly aggression against ever alien's civilization, the youth will pay when it leads to war. If the Covenant ever gets rebuild and attack us, we'll be on our own."

"We'd destroy them," Hessen sneered and waved it off.

"Surely, but how many billion will that in that war? Without allies, the UNSC will fall one day. Declaring every alien race our enemy will only initiate our destruction." He relaxed. "Besides, the assembly will tell High Command to dispatch an expedition to assist the Turian Hierarchy."

Hessen stormed out of Udina's office. He just couldn't deal with the stupidity of the civilians in the UEG. It was like they wanted to see humanity burn. Things had been claimer and far better under the UNSC total control. They were too quick to return power to the UEG. Maybe that ONI officer he had a drink with two weeks ago was right. Civilians was gonna be too weak to stand up to anything.

* * *

Kinda short but the next will be longer.


	8. Chapter 8 Same old, same old

Halo New galaxy Ch8 Same old, same old

 **22** **nd** **July 2554**

 **Riga Lillo system, planet Rio**

It took Vice Admiral Hammond's task force around three weeks to reach Rio. She overlooked the defending fleet under Captain Cutler. There had been very little space activity from either of the three sides. The UNSC had been lucky with this one. But in one of the few battles that took place Cutler's flagship, the Light Carrier _Twilight Bark_ had been destroyed. He'd been lucky to survive in a lifeboat. Now he commanded the three ships remaining from an Autumn Heavy Cruiser.

On the ground the marines under Lt. General Horus was holding out and inflicting heavy casualties on the Storm. The unknown faction had stayed away from heavy fights with the UNSC and focused on mostly fighting the Storm.

Fireteam Crimson was inside one of the Pelicans heading dirtside. Their target was an outpost acting as a chokepoint for an entire valley. It kept the Storm inside it bottled up and unable to launch a major offensive in that region. It allowed the marines to focus their forces on other regions.

Nomad was fiddling with his sniper in his lap.

Everyone was silent. No one had said a word for the majority of the journey. The Scot, Charlie Evans was the one to break the silence.

"So why you think the Ex-Covies attacked Rio?" He asked Mira.

His question got the attention of Locust and Lizzy. John Cooper didn't do more than raise an eyebrow under his visor. Nomad didn't show that he even heard the question.

"I don't know," Mira said simply. "It doesn't matter either."

"Doesn't matter?" Evans disagreed. "That-"

"To us," Mira interrupted him. She looked right at the Spartan IV. "If it is important to us, we'll know. Otherwise we do our job. We have an outpost to reinforce and a valley to clear out after that. Focus on that. This isn't your old ODST unit. It'll only be the six of us against every ex-Covie in that valley."

"We got this boss," Lizzy assured her. "Not to worry."

Locust snorted aloud.

Mira looked at him.

"Got something to say Marshal?"

He shook his head after a moment. He leaned his head back.

"No ma'am." He cocked his head down slightly. It seemed he thought about saying something but decided against it.

That worked just fine for Mira. She didn't mind not talking to him. He was a good soldier that usually followed orders, but not always and he had problems with authority. Mira figured he's skills at killing aliens was excellent enough to ignore his bad qualities.

When the Pelican finally landed they jumped out into the darkness of night. Mira was first out and could see one main building and three smaller bunkers making out the outpost. There was craters and burnt vehicles parts here and there between the bunkers and the main compound. She saw five marines immediately. Not a lot of security at night. But she didn't know how many they had in the bunkers.

"Damn," she heard John Cooper said. "Check this out."

He pointed with his SMG at the sloop on the other side of the bunkers. It was littered with corpses. The grassy hillside downward was absolutely filled with corpses of marines and ex-Covies. If anything could be positive with the evidence of a bloodbath that the outpost had seen it would be that there were twenty-five ex-Covies for every marine. Elites, Grunts and Jackals laid dead by the hundreds at least. Mira counted four Hunters too. It had been a number of helluva fights.

"Where's our welcome committee?" Nomad noted that no one was meeting up with them yet.

Mira walked towards the main compound.

"Cooper, Lizzy, Evans, Locust I want you checking their perimeter. Nomad with me. We're finding whoever is in charge," she ordered.

"Copy that," Evans complied.

"On it," Cooper said.

They got saluted from the exhausted marines but there weren't a single officer in sight yet. Walking inside the compound Mira and Nomad made their way into the command center.

"Sarge!" A female marine yelled.

A Central American man came over and saw the Spartans. "Oh, damn," he exclaimed and snapped off a salute. Mira saluted back she looked at his tag on her HUD. . E. PARRINO.

"Master Sergeant. Where's your CO?"

The Sergeant hung his head sadly.

"Captain's Ciera's dead, and his XO 1st Lieutenant Berga," he told them. "So is ever Company officer accept me and five more, all None-coms and lower than me. I'm in command."

Mira and Nomad was surprised.

"Over the whole Company?" Mira questioned.

He shrugged even sadder. "Thirty guys left, sir-ah, ma'am. Came here with two-hundred and fifty marines. Full Company. But everyone's dead but us. If it wasn't for our Mortar and quick to respond air support we'd be dead already. Unfortunately air supports been busy for the last seven attacks. Mortar is everything holding them back. We bombard the sloop when they try charging up, butcher them before they get to shoot at us."

Nomad looked at Mira. "Son," he said. "We're your best friends. Our mission is to reinforce this outpost, than start clearing this valley." He shifted his weight on his feet. "How many Mortar you got Sarge?"

"Err, ten, sir," he said hesitantly.

His hesitation got Nomad to tilt his head and take a step forward.

"And ammo?"

"We, uh, ah, have six a shot each, I think," he kind of admitted.

Mira and Nomad exchanged a look.

"You think?" She asked with disapproval over the lack of valid information.

"I-I didn't have all the Intel, Captain did and the El-Tee but-but-"

"Well find out Sergeant," Mira raised her voice.

It caused him to snap off a salute. "Y-yes Spartan ma'am!"

He scurried away to get the information. The Spartans turned to face each other.

"Rather shitty operation here," Nomad said in the privacy on their helmets.

"They've lost almost the whole Company," Mira defended the marine's position. "Everyone who knew something is dead, leaving a man who's probably never led another more than a Squad to command a close to Platoon size unit."

"Right sorry," Nomad apologized, still in the confines of their helmets.

Mira smirked slightly.

"Just don't tell all that to them."

He frowned inside his helmet.

"Not a complete idiot."

"Oh no, I meant more a lack of social skills."

Nomad was silent for a good twenty seconds. "I'm socializing with you and the team."

Mira couldn't help but smile. "Because we share a barrack, if you could choose, you'd never talk to the team off mission."

"Hey, hey," he protested. "Not true. I'd always talk to you."

She couldn't help but keep smiling at how sweet that sounded. Nomad was the closest thing to family she had. They had been the best of friends as kids on the colony of Castile. But both their families was butchered by the Covies when-at the time-Admiral Bauer had chickened out of conducting any kind of resistance. It was twenty three years ago. She'd been six when her she lost her home and family. Nomad had been eight at the time. They had been been recruited to ONIs new Spartan III program.

" _Crimson lead,"_ Mira heard Lizzy-Crimson four-through the commlink in her helmet.

"Report, four," she said.

" _We've got Jackals sneaking around below the sloop. Say, a hundred meters away just at the edge of the tree line,"_ Lizzy informed her.

"Copy. Keep an eye on them," Mira said. She kept looking at Nomad. "Get out and find a sniping position."

"On it," Nomad affirmed and jogged out.

He found a rocky hillside beside the outpost that overlooked the area.

At that time the Master Sergeant came back.

"Ma'am, we have-"

"Prepare your men," Mira cut him off. "My people have seen Jackals in the forest a hundred meters down the sloping side into the valley."

The marine tensed up. "A-are they attacking?"

Mira frowned. She understood that they were tired, exhausted after three weeks of fighting. They all looked dirty, like they hadn't showered for all that time.

"Prepare your men **Master Sergeant** ," she said harshly.

"Yes, sir!"

Mira then marched out of the compound and towards the bunkers. "Two, report."

Nomad was quick to respond.

"Lead, a got three Jackals in the tree line. Either snipers scouting ahead or scouts to get a look at the outposts defenses," he reported. "Permission to eliminate them."

"Granted. Shot the little beaks off," Mira allowed.

" _Crimson lead. You may wanna see this,"_ Cooper said.

Mira made her way to meet him. He stood outside one of the three bunkers. Surrounding them was dead bodies of aliens and a few marines.

"What you got six?" Mira asked.

He nodded down and kicked the Elite.

"An Elite, so?"

"Look at the armor, sir," he said.

She noted that he didn't wore Storm armor, but the old Covenant armor from the war. Specifically he wore the orange armor of an Officer.

"He's armors not Storm," she said. "He's from the armor faction then?"

Cooper nodded.

"I looked through the bodies that came all the way up and they're all wearing old armors from the war," Cooper explained. "With one add-on." He kicked the Elite enough to roll him over. Mira saw a white hand painted onto his chest.

"Do they all have them?"

He nodded. "From what I can tell, almost. They all have a white hand marked on their chest armor. Elite, Jackal, Grunt. Then a spotted Elites with Storm armor too."

" _Crimson lead, all Jackal snipers eliminated,"_ Nomad said.

"Copy," Mira answered before focusing on Cooper again. "Send the information to Vice Admiral Hammond immediately."

"Understood," he nodded.

 **22** **nd** **July 2554**

 **Riga Lillo system, planet Rio**

 **CAS class Assault Carrier** _ **Prudent Revenge**_

Ursa Zumaba stood on his bridge and overlooked his battle with Mdama's small fleet. He wore his silver colored armor. He was the Fleet master and had served in the Human-Covenant War.

"What is the position of the UNSC fleet?" Ursa asked harshly.

An orange armored Sangheili with a white hand on his armor turned to face him.

"They are holding position Fleet master," he said. "The new ships stopped with the other."

"Good," Ursa said. "If they wait until we have destroyed Mdama's fleet, we can focus on them."

He was angry because he'd been granted command of such a small fleet. He used to command massive fleets of up to over a hundred ships. At least at the end of the war. Now he led a tiny squadron, all thanks to his brother's desire. He felt his older sibling squandered his incredible talents.

"What if the humans attack while we fight the other faction?" His Second in command asked.

What surprised many was that the Fleet master had chosen a Kig-yar as his second in command. The best explanation was that he didn't actually chose. Roshaka Zumaba did, his older sibling. The kig-yar had served with with Roshaka during the war and when he created his own faction the Kig-yar-Taa-swore his loyalty to him. But he was just as intelligent and tactical in his ways as any Sangheili of equal rank.

"I count on that they will sit back until one of us has been defeated Taa," Ursa explained. "Keep pushing. Don't hold back anything."

The Kig-yar remained pensive. He had his doubts about this strategy. They were not only outnumbered by the Storm space fleet, but the UNSC as well. Granted many of the UNSCs ship was smaller and less powerful than theirs, but that Super Carrier looked damn intimidating.

While their Assault Carrier was five kilometers in length, the Super Carrier was twenty-eight kilometers. It was around three km in height. Clearly it was a great threat. It was heavily armed-like the rest of their small ships-and they were skilled and had proved-over and over again-to be of sound tactical mind. There firepower didn't worry Taa, but their ingenuity did. There was a reason they won the war and lasted as long as they did. Ingenuity was a big part of that.

"Fleet master, I want to add to the record that I-" Taa started.

Ursa glared at him, which caused Taa to shiver and stop talking.

"Our troops on the ground needs our support. They need the enemy eliminated," he growled. "The Covenant of the Hand do not abandon its troops. We are not the old Covenant."

Taa nodded obediently.

 **22** **nd** **July 2157 CE**

 **Attican Traverse, Gadd system**

 **Legionnaire class Carrier** _ **Palaven's Pride**_

When it had come out from the jump through the relay Senior Captain Raedimus had demanded a sensor sweep through the system. Now came the respond.

"Senior Captain," a Turian crewman spoke up. "We are detecting the eight ships reported are orbiting Gadd."

Raedimus walked forward towards the view scree with the ship on.

"The big one, zoom in on it," he narrowed his eyes.

As the screen zoomed in, he narrowed them further, and breathed in, and out. It was truly massive in scope. He had read the report from the ship that discovered the incursion. Twenty-eight, almost twenty-nine kilometers in length. He had never seen a ship of that size. Ever. The construction abilities of these aliens were indeed magnificent, and terrifying at the same time.

"Where is the UNSC task force?" He asked. They should have beaten us here. His fleet had left through the relay in time to ensure the UNSC would manage to reach Gadd at the same time, even ahead of them. In fact, they had been damn lucky the UNSC had any ships this far from their space. Otherwise it would have taken months for them to arrive instead of three weeks.

"I don't know, sir. They should arrive soon though," an officer said.

"Sir!" Another shot up. "The enemy is launching fighter!"

"How many?" Raedimus asked calmly.

"Five hundred."

His eyes widened, but he quickly regained his compulsion.

"Spirits," he mumbled. His Legionnaire Carrier only had about two hundred fighters. "Launch fighters. All cannons prepare to fire. I want all ships battle ready."

"Yes, sir."

The _Palaven's Pride_ had a following of eighteen Light and Heavy Cruisers under Raedimus command.

"I want the Light Cruisers acting as a defense screen around us and all fighters on the defensive and within the range of our guns."

"Yes Captain."

He turned his gaze to the Turian female to his side. She was wearing the regular black and red striped armor of a marine. Her face had red facial markings and her eyes was yellow and sharp. She looked about as calm as Raedimus. She was Ira Praetor, rank of Commander and in charge of their ground forces.

"I presume you have a plan, sir," she stated.

"My plan, is to holdout until the UNSC jump out of…slipspace, is it?"

She nodded. "Correct."

The fighters was almost in range of the Turian Flotilla. Luckily the larger ships remained out of range.

When they entered range they began to fire their Heavy plasma cannons and class-2 projectile cannons. The Turian ships kinetic barriers did little to prevent the plasma. The outnumbered Turian pilots began the fight of their lives.

"Sir, their weapons sir is penetrating our shields," an officer informed Raedimus.

"Dammit," Raedimus grunted.

Though skilled, the Turian pilots was dropping like flies. They were too badly outnumbered. Although the Cruisers provided full support, they couldn't deal with the fighters fast enough. For every enemy fighter shot down, the Turian pilots felt like ten more appeared. And with the ships shields being pointless it made everything even worse. A hit from those bigger ships would likely blow right through the armor in a shot. The Super Carrier could certainly eliminate the Turian Carrier in one shot. But Raedimus didn't seem like he was going to find out, since he was losing badly.

"Captain UNSC ships jumped in," an officer said.

"Not a moment too soon," Raedimus said calmly. "Open a channel."

"Open sir."

"This is Senior Captain Raedimus of the Turian Hierarchy Carrier Palaven's Pride. Your timing in impeccable," Raedimus said.

"This is Captain Brett West of the UNSC Reach's Revenge," a strong male voice responded. "I see you're busy already, Senior Captain."

"They launched a wave the moment we jumped in-system," Raedimus pressed. "If you wouldn't mind giving us a hand."

"I have already given the order for the pilots to deploy," Captain West assured him calmly.

The Poseidon class Light Carrier had three Autumn class Heavy Cruisers and two Charon class Light Frigates deployed alongside it. The Carrier was commanded by Captain West himself. His Longsword Interceptors quickly and with ease launched into battle and engaged the massive force of Seraphs.

The UNSC squadron had left slipspace and jumped in five-thousand kilometers from the Turian flotilla.

* * *

In the colony Kaaldrumee overlooked the holographic display of the battle. It had been set up in the Administrative building shortly after their arrival.

The Arbiter was deeply disturbed about what just happened. The UNSCs arrival was troublesome. Not because they could destroy his ships. _Concord of Justice_ could shot those tiny ships 'out of the water', to use a human expression he heard long ago. What worried him was the fact the UNSC cooperated with the Turians. It could mean the UNSC would hunt his faction down with Turian aid. Turian and human cooperation was bad, especially in Turian space.

This untied task force could just be the first wave. For all he knew it was a hundred starships on the way. Could he take the risk? Was it worth fighting for this colony world? Both answers was no. in the end it was rather pointless. Reparations on the _Light of Fied_ was going well.

When he launched his fighters he hoped the size would scare the Turians off. But now it had turned into a shooting gallery. Brave pilots was dying for this planet. A part of him was happy that most of the pilots had been Unggoy. It meant that the Sangheili pilots wasn't at risk. Most of them anyway. There was almost two hundred Sangheili pilots involved, or it was at first. Some had surely died by now. He mentally kicked himself for thinking that way. He was trying to build a new age, and he couldn't think like the Covenant had. He was something new. Something greater.

He shook his head and looked at Revazum.

"Revazum, did you give the order?" He asked.

Revazum nodded.

"We have begun evacuating troops to the _Concord of Justice_ ," he affirmed.

Kaaldrumee could hear in his friend's voice that he didn't approve.

"We didn't come here to fight," he said. "I will not lose ships fighting a pointless battle."

Revazum just nodded obediently.

In the long run, this battle would be beyond unimportant to his plans. Kaaldrumee looked back at the display of the battle. His fighters was wreaking havoc with the Turian ships, and dozens of squadrons was engaging the UNSC. Two of the Turian ships had been disabled after his fighter's targeted specific section such as engines. The Turian fighters had fallen in numbers quickly by now. Most of them were dead. But they still managed to get a five-one kill rate and eliminate a large amount of enemy fighters.


	9. Chapter 9 Changing tides

Halo New galaxy Ch9 Changing tides

 **22** **nd** **July 2554**

 **Riga Lillo system, planet Rio**

Shepard jumped off the Pelican with his two Captains and squad of troopers after him. Hathaway and Hendricks walked on his left and right side respectively.

"Thanks for the lift Spec," Shepard said, using the pilot's call sign.

" _No problem Colonel,"_ a cheerful man responded.

They had set down in the 29th Sky Hoppers HQ. Shepard and his two officers set a course for the command tent. He had been in contact with them before he came down here. Hopefully the three Captains had gathered in preparations already.

The first person he saw when entering the tent was John Keegan. A dark skin man with a bald head, clean shaved and muscular. He saluted Shepard. As did Captain and 1st Lieutenant Wu and Cornfield. Captain Rory Wu was Asian, black trimmed marine cut, late twenties, standard ODST really. Daniella Cornfield was the youngest. Twenty-three. Young for an ODST. Especially an officer with the rank of First Lieutenant. Her black hair was curled up into a bun, tan skin and lovely silver colored eyes.

"At ease," Shepard said.

They all gathered around the holographic map table in the tents center.

"Good to have you back, sir," Keegan was the first to speak.

"Wouldn't miss this for the universe," The Lt. Colonel grinned.

"I second that, sir," Daniella Cornfield said in her attractive Italian accent.

Shepard turned to her.

"Lieutenant," he said with a smile. He brought out a small box and opened it. "I pushed this through on the trip here, made it official."

Daniella's eyes widened when he brought out a Captain's insignia. She was the acting Captain of Sierra Company but hadn't been promoted to Captain yet. But she had been running the Company for over a month. Since Henry Petersen was KIA.

"You've earned it," Shepard said and gave it to her. "Congratulations Captain Cornfield. You are officials a Captain and CO of Sierra Company."

He smiled at how she beamed in awe and surprise. An officer with the experience of say him or Hendricks would have expected the promotion, but since Daniella was skill young-experienced and battle hardened-but young.

She attached it to her battle dress.

"Thank you, sir. I won't let you down," she promised.

"I know you won't," he said. He then dropped his smile and focused on the map. "What's the situation here John?"

Keegan straightened his back.

"The Storm's been pushing against our lines for three weeks now," he said. He pointed on a spot in the map that a red dot appeared at. "This is their base of operations, say three Battalions worth of men. Three days ago Cornfield led an op with a Platoon on a hit-an-run attack. She managed to sneak into their motor pool and took out all their Wraith tanks, plus some other vehicles."

"Nice work, Daniella," Shepard approved.

She smirked and blushed slightly.

Keegan continued. "We have eliminated close to a Battalions worth of troops with only a hundred fatalities across the board."

"You've done a good job here, all of you," Shepard told them. "Now then, our orders from the top sitters is to push forward." He got a good look at the map. "These ridges…" he pointed on a succession of three close to each other. "…is ideal sniping and artillery positions to rain hell over anyone trying to push on."

"Hathaway's XO tried making a push the first week," Keegan added. "He couldn't get through the defense. They had a Company of Sangheili protecting the first ridge."

Hathaway scratched his chin.

"Hmm," he started. "Brewer's a damn good soldier. Battle field promotions throughout her career. If she can't take it, it'll be tough." He looked at Shepard. "With aerial support from the fleet I can take 'em."

Shepard knew he wanted to prove himself after the incident on the Citadel. He nodded.

"Your Company will take the ridges in a preemptive advance," he said. "If we try advancing now we'll take heavy losses. We need the ridges in our hands."

"Me and my guys will get it done," Hathaway said confidently. He lowered the visor on his helmet.

"When the ridges is under our control, the other Companies will advanced forward together and sweep the Storm off our planet," Shepard said. "Any questions so far?"

The silence was clear enough.

"Good. Our next goal will be the town. Sierra Company will move inside with Alpha. Bravo covers their backs. Charlie will secure the right flank while Vector moves up on the left. It'll take time securing the city, especially if the Storm has a large presence." The town was close to the suspected basecamp the Storm operated from in this region."

He then looked around at his Company commanders. "Get back to your Companies and prep your men."

They acknowledged his orders before leaving for their own units again. Daniella remained as she since her Company was holding this section of the front.

Shepard desperately hated sending the men and women in Vector Company to take an enemy high ground without being involved himself. But as a Lt. Colonel had had learned that he could no longer get involved in every fight. Running a Battalion was a lot more work than a Company, which he'd learned over the years. Even though he had run the 29th for years he still didn't like staying out of the fight. Off course he took most opportunities to get personally involved. Something the Staff Sergeant commanding the Squad responsible for his personal safety had never been happy about. Staff Sergeant Holly Reiben was always trying to keep up with him on the battlefield to keep him safe and alive.

* * *

Shepard didn't have to wait long for Hathaway's Company to get into position for the assault. He called in an Air Wing to blast the target area apart and try killing as many hostiles as possible. Then Hathaway launched his assault, his five Platoons advancing onward towards the first ridge. The bombardment had devastated the Storm on the first ridge and made them easy pickings. It took ten minutes for the Vector Company to push to it and clean out the few Storm remaining. Three men was injured but no fatalities.

The second was attacked on the twenty minute mark. Hathaway's Helljumper's had a harder time on the next ridge. Although the Storm hadn't been as devastated as on their position on the first ridge the drop trooper assault with momentary aerial supremacy ensured the fight wouldn't be too long. At the thirty-five minute mark the ridge fell and Hathaway launched an assault on the third and last ridge.

However, this was much heavier defended. They had prepared a defense while the first and second ridges fell under UNSC control. The engagement lasted for another hour before the Company could claim half the ridge. They were then joined by two Squadrons of Pelicans acting as close air support. It would take another half an hour before Hathaway could tell Shepard that all ridges was under the 29th control.

He was joining Daniella's Sierra Company in their advance. With his helmet on and his BR85N in his arms he marched off towards the front lines. Holly Reiben saw him and got up on her feet.

"Sir," she said.

"Get your squad moving Staff," Shepard said simply.

Reiben quickly got the security detail up and behind and flanking Shepard. She gripped her SAW, ready to level a deadly barrage of led at any alien trying to shot the Colonel. She took her job as head of his detail extremely seriously. She had a tendency to protest when he joined the fighting personally. Sometimes he felt bad for making her job so hard. But there was no way he'd let his men take on the enemy on their own. He wasn't like the standard LTC and sat back. He knew he couldn't jump about like when he was a Captain. He was too important to lead from the very front now, but he could still join in battle.

He jumped into the front trench position with his Reiben and her detail with him.

Daniella was sitting on one knee talking to a man with a few Mortar teams.

"Captain!" She heard. She turned at the sound of his voice.

"Sir. The 1st through 3rd Platoons is already advancing with 4th acting as backup when we hit hostiles," she explained quickly. "I'm waiting for you with 5th."

Shepard cocked his BR85.

"Let's not keep them waiting than Daniella, shall we?"

"Yes, sir!" She affirmed, talking into her comm, "5th Platoon, move out."

They started marched towards the enemy. The other Companies was also pushing forward.

" _Colonel Shepard,"_ Hendricks voice said through the comm in his helmet.

"Report Pamela," he said.

" _My boys ran into a single Company of Storm but we're encircling and pushing,"_ she explained. _"Our bird's aerial cover is a godsend."_

They hadn't had much aerial support for the three weeks since the Storm and other faction arrived. The majority was supporting the marines per Lieutenant General Horus's orders.

"Don't hesitate to call 'em in Pam."

She chuckled. _"Yes, sir!"_

As the 5th Platoon continued forward Reiben's squad was walking in a circle around Shepard. Reiben herself was up front with her SAW at a ready. They advanced across the formerly grass covered fields with craters after both sides had shot at each other with heavy artillery.

"Lieutenant Everett reported in," Daniella let Shepard know. She looked at him. "He's Platoon's run into two Platoons of Jackals and Unggoy."

"No Elites?" Shepard asked.

"None. Maybe our Pelicans killed them in the initial assault," she said, shrugging.

 _Or they were pulled back for a counterattack_ , Shepard thought to himself.

Holding back their heavy units for a counterattack was an excellent tactic. Let the Battalion fight the lighter units and hopefully tire themselves out before the Elites attack with whatever armor was in the town and try to break them and find a nice surround. Such a tactic might work with a Battalion of marines or Army trooper but not with ODSTs. They would counter a heavy push from vehicles and Elites, plus a number of Hunters.

"Everett's cleared up the hostiles in our path," Daniella informed him.

"Good," Shepard said.

"He's one of my best, sir," Daniella said in a cheerful tone.

"All Company commanders report progress," he said over his commlink.

" _Sir,"_ Hathaway responded first. _"Holding the ridges and Mortar is on its way into a position to pound the Storm in the surrounding regions. Air support halted an attempted assault in its tracks."_

" _Few ex-Covie sniper Squads this far,"_ Keegan said.

" _Charlie Company reporting in Colonel,"_ Captain Wu said. _"A Company of hostiles in our path but we're pushing through."_

" _Nothing new to report,"_ Hendricks reported.

* * *

Nomad laid hidden in the thick grass of the hillside he had found overlooking an ex-Covie base. Using his sniper he could see that the base belonged to whatever other faction was on the planet. The aliens below had white hands on their chest armor. Given the vehicles and landing zone cut out of the woods it appeared to be their main basecamp.

He counted ten Phantom Gunboats and five for the purpose of transporting troops. The LZ had more room though. He had been lying here for an hour soon, watching. He had seen a dropship loaded up with wounded soldiers and transported up into orbit. Or he presumed the last part at least. He had never seen the Covenant care much for their wounded. Off course the Elites was always important, but not Grunts and Jackals and he saw all three species partaking in the evacuation. This faction appeared to have compassion for their soldiers. All of them.

Crimson had counted thirty turrets around the base perimeter with squads patrolling constantly. Over a hundred vehicles was inside, neatly lined up in formation at their version of a motor pool. It had five main buildings and several smaller-all purple in color. Presumably one was their CP, an armory, mess perhaps, infirmary and such.

"Crimson two to lead, nothing to report," he said to Mira over the comm.

" _Copy,"_ was her simple reply. _"What about the generals?"_

"Both still in sight, can take them out when you give the order," he said.

" _Estimate about a hundred Covies defending the base,"_ Mira continued. _"Most probably died assaulting the outpost. A few scouting parties patrolling in the valley maybe."_

"They definitely look undermanned," Nomad noted in agreement. "Ready to pop these assholes on your word."

"Remain on standby. We wait until air support is incoming."

 **24** **th** **June 2157 CE**

 **Red Brigand System, Hollow**

 **SVD class Heavy Corvette** _ **Krogan Wisdom**_

Vezk had picked the name of the Corvette mostly as a joke. It wasn't a lot of wisdom on Tuchanka. All Krogan knew was fighting, which he didn't have a problem with. He had just met with his second Kegg and the Kig-yar he left as a third in command, Sax, in a briefing room.

His little task for of three Corvettes had arrived in orbit over the moon named Hollow. It was quite deep into what used to be unknown space for Vezk and his Krogan men. Sax had told them when informing him about this place that it was located on a formerly desolate moon the Covenant had mined to hell and back almost a millennia ago. Now, it was home to a bristling Kig-yar city. As a mining location it was still valuable but most folk came here to trade goods from raids, resupply, rest, party after a successful act of piracy and the like.

"So this is Hollow," Vezk noted. He scratched his large chin. "Not much to look at."

Sax leaned against the holographic table separating them slightly and opened his beak to speak.

"Well, that's kinda how we pirates like it," he told him. "Ensures the Covenant won't come snooping up our ass."

Kegg snorted and looked at Vezk.

"Warlord, I have finished all preparations," he informed him.

Vezk nodded. "Good. Good." He then looked at his glass of Ryncol and grabbed it and in a moment swept the whole thing down. "Sax, tell me 'bout this place. In detail."

"Not much else to tell ya, then I have already," Sax shrugged. "Except the everyday thieving, smuggling, beat up and murder there is the occasional firefight between pirates who are rivals or got ripped off by the other." He had a grin rising on his beak. "Here we can buy whatever we need. Tanks, weapons, Phantoms? Whatever you need." He threw a manifest over the table. "This all the tradable equipment of value no board."

Vezk didn't even give it a second glance.

"We didn't come here to train little bird," he said plainly.

Kegg chuckled grimly.

Sax glanced at before looking right at Vezk.

"Then…why go here?" He asked confused.

"What kind of defense are there in the city...what you people call it?" Vezk asked.

"Gallows or Profit, it was an old saying we had-"

"Don't care," Vezk interrupted him.

Sax took offense to that but didn't let it bother him.

"It doesn't have a military or any kind of law enforcement," he got back on subject.

"None?" Kegg asked.

The pirate shook his head plainly. "None. Ever pirate has his own guards here. Any local law enforcement would just pose a risk. It had a law enforcement agency back in the day when my peoples ancestors colonies the place, but every branch of it was constantly bribed to overlook crimes or clamper down on a competitor so they disbanded due to their worthlessness. But pretty much every Kig-yar down there is armed."

"Ships in orbit?" Vezk continued.

"Several. Specifically three. One CCS Battlecruiser and two Destroyers. One is only two hundred meters from the Battlecruiser so I presume it is an escort. The other is ten-thousand kilometers away, probably a lone Shipmaster."

Then Kegg put a command into the console and a view of a specific portion of the city appeared on the holographic table. It was a view of a port section.

"Got two Corvettes here. Both have below a dozen men in the respective hangars," he explained. "It'll take time to figure out which hangar is used by the Battlecruiser."

"No it won't," sax said. "I already know." The two Krogan raised their eyebrows. Sax was putting together the pieces on what Vezk wanted to do now. "I tracked a Phantom leaving the Battlecruiser and heading to a tarmac. Four Lances of men there, four to six men in each."

"So twenty to twenty-four men?" Kegg affirmed with a question.

Sax nodded. _Obviously_ , he thought, but said, "Correct."

Vezk had already formed a plan in his head.

"We don't have enough men to spare to capture a large amount of ships at the same time. We need the majority on board _Krogan Wisdom_ , _Hurricane_ and _Drowned Salarian_ as backup. Two Corvettes will be easy to board and capture, but the Battlecruiser won't be." He grinned. "I will lead that myself."

Kegg chuckled. "I thought you would."

"My team will storm the tarmac and seize the Phantom, then travel on board and infiltrate the Battlecruiser itself."

"I suspect a lot of the crew is planetside, celebrating," Sax butted in. "when we arrived we spotted ten Phantoms going up from the surface, but they didn't go back down, only one. Which indicates the crew may celebrate a successful raid against somebody." He looked at Kegg and back to Vezk. "That ship can hold tens of thousands of men."

"Once in control of their hangar we will upload a VI into the system to shut down censors," Vezk said. "They don't have AIs right?"

Sax couldn't help but laugh. "No boss, I promise you. No pirate shipmaster has his talons on an AI. The humans make 'em and the Covenant steals 'em. It wouldn't be easy to get an actual AI." He finished by shaking his head.

"Good. The VI will be programmed to make sure sensors don't detect us transporting over troops."

"They may discover the VI pretty quickly if we have bad luck."

Kegg cracked his knuckles loudly. "What about that Destroyer playing escort for your new flagship?"

How he referenced the CCS Heavy Battlecruiser made Vezk grin and smack him in the back in a gesture of comradery.

"When my new ship is under our control we'll just blow it out of space and jump the little fleet out of here," the Warlord explained with a laugh.

Sax was concerned about the risks here. Taking two Corvettes wouldn't be an issue, but a Battlecruiser? If it wasn't held by a skeleton crew The Krogan Warlord might find himself in real trouble, such as being dead. He admitted he wouldn't cry if Vezk happened to die but he was actually a far more skilled leader then their previous Shipmaster. His main worry came after thinking about Vezk's quick rise. It might soon be a threat to the Kig-yar pirate society's status quo. The big seven might take action if that happened. Getting the Conglomerate's attention was never a good idea if you wanted to live, drink, raid, get laid and whatnot ever again. The big seven didn't let anyone or anything threaten the status quo.

When he broke from his thoughts Kegg had been given orders and instructions of which Corvette was his to take. He would get sixty men to stand at his disposal for the mission. Same as Sax. But unlike Kegg, no Krogan would serve with Sax. They reminded him of the Sangheili in a way. The way they were above taking orders from a Kig-yar.

"You're going after this one," Vezk told him. "Should be easy enough for you and two Phantoms worth of Kig-yar. Just remember, if you betray me, I will hunt you all down and kill you."

Sax nodded casually at the threat.

"Don't worry about that boss," he assured him.

"For your sake, let's hope," the large Krogan answered.

Another Kig-yar entered the briefing room. But it looked more reptilian than Sax and his ilk normally did. In fact he was from the continent of Ibie'sh. He was an Ibie'shan male, a subspecies of the Kig-yar. They had evolved quite different features due to a long period of isolation on the volcanic continent.

"Ah, Roark," Sax said with a smile upon seeing him.

Roark, was Sax's most trusted man and a friend. The Ibie'shan had dark beige skin and dangerous yellow eyes. He had a strong muscular built with reptilian jaws. He had a short snout and a strong under bite. His neck was also thicker and a row of large teeth in his powerful jaws.

"Prep five Phantoms and mobilize men for them. Then send a message to the _Drowned Salarian_ and _Hurricane_ to prepare all of their Phantoms and ready their boys to deploy immediately when the order is given."

"Got is, Sax," Roark said in a gruff voice. He looked at Vezk. "Including Krogan warrior's boss?"

Vezk nodded. "Enough Krogan and Kig-yar to mix in and fill all five Phantoms."

Sax arched a surprised brow. Mix? Was he getting Krogan troops or did he misunderstand? Vezk saw his confusion and spoke.

"Yes. You will have several of my Krogan at your command," he confirmed.

Vezk wasn't stupid. He knew a combination of Kig-yar and Krogan was a damn good mixture of force and tactics. With Kig-yar sharpshooters and energy shields the Krogan stayed under cover and provided the Kig-yar with a permanent defense against heavy weaponry and any change of an enemy charge. Any pirate would have to be stupid to charge into a Krogan line.

* * *

Sax led two Kig-yar and four Krogan towards the hangar the Corvette was waiting in. the rest of his men waited back to not alert anyone. They walked through the dirt streets of Gallows or Profit, surrounded by countless Kig-yar pirates just like them. Sax really felt like home here. What a lovely place Hollow was.

After passing by stores selling everything from weapons to ship technology and human weapons and explosives they stood outside the hangar building. Sax keyed the panel to get the attention of anyone inside. It wasn't long until a Kig-yar opened the door and peeked out.

"What you want fella?" He demanded. "This hangar's not yours."

"Oh, well then, wrong turn," Sax chuckled apologetically. He waved his hand dismissively.

The Kig-yar glared suspiciously at him until a Krogan grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up. He squeezed and purple blood soon flowed out through his fingers and the Kig-yar slumped together. The Krogan dropped him and he fell to the ground with a light thud.

Sax was first in through the door and into the room. Two Kig-yar stood on the other side of the room and quickly noticed them. Sax aimed his Focus rifle across the twenty meter room and fired a bolt that splattered one of the guards on the wall. A hit from a Beam rifle killed the second just a second later.

"Nice hit," Sax complemented the fellow crewman. "Call in the rest."

The crewman nodded. "Yes, sir."

Sax looked at a pair of Krogan. "Stay here and keep the exit on lockdown until the other arrive."

The Krogan both nodded.

Everyone else hurried across the room and Sax peeked out into the corridor. The left led to a storage space whilst the right led to the Corvette's airlock. Both sides of the corridor was empty, but voices came from the storage section.

Sax waved two Krogan and both Kig-yar to follow him. While a Kig-yar kept watch behind the rest scurried into the storage room. For a brief moment a firefight could be heard, but it was quickly over.

They stared at the bodies of five Kig-yar and two Unggoy. It had been an easy and short fight. Extremely on-sided. Sax liked one-sided fights. It was easy that way.

Before turning back and to the airlock he opened one of the many crates in the room. To his delight it was filled with plasma grenades. He opened another. Also it filled with plasma grenades. The third he opened wasn't, but it had Plasma rifles inside instead. They had at least a hundred crates in the room.

"Hey Sax," he heard Roark call.

He turned and walked to meet him.

"Buddy, when the ship is our, we load every one of these crates onboard," Sax ordered.

The Ibie'shan nodded complying.

Roark had just arrived with the rest.

With Roark and Sax on point with six Kig-yar with energy shields they marched down the corridors other direction. A mix of Krogan and Kig-yar followed. When they reached the airlock they had killed a pair of Unggoy more. Sax thought the men guarding the ship was pretty light so far. Almost too light. The pirate in him suspected a trap but he couldn't see a way for them to know they were coming. It was too early to second-guess Vezk already.

Roark peeked around the corner as the corridor bent one last time.

"You'll never believe this unless you see it," he whispered to Sax.

Sax frowned confused and peeked around the corner himself when Roark moved slightly out of the way.

He was shocked when he saw a Sangheili. The Saurian giant was wearing armor on his lower frame and a dark blue chestplate that left his arms bare.

 _What's a Sangheili doing here?_ Sax thought, greatly confused. A Sangheili pirate…was that a thing? He'd never really heard of it before. Never serving with simple Kig-yar before. Ever. Off course he had heard that some of the most powerful Kig-yar pirate/crime lord families utilized Sangheili and Jiralhanae bodyguards and heavy troops. Especially now after the Covenant's fall. A lot of soldiers found themselves unemployed and sick and tired of the Covenant's religious and power players. To some of them working as bodyguards as the most powerful people-criminals or not-seemed like an easy, exciting and well-paid job.

He couldn't even imagine a Sangheili serving with Kig-yar on a Corvette. If this Sangheili did serve with the pirates the dude must be in extreme denial about his life right now. He'd love to ask him about it but it obviously wasn't on the plate.

Instead Sax gestured to a pair of Krogan to move up. As the Sangheili casual strolled towards their corner the Krogan waited for him to be two meter away before charging out.

He reacted quickly and drew up a plasma pistol and fired two bolts at point blank. The Krogan they hit had his shields again proven useless but he pushed through the pain and only grunted. The Sangheili stepped back but not quickly enough. Both unloaded their Scimitar Shotguns into his shields. They fired three shots in each simultaneously. One of them punched him in the gut with his shotgun while the other punched him hard in the face. The unmasked warrior grunted and stumbled back. The surprise and swift attack caused him to lose his Plasma pistol.

Sax gestured for ten Kig-yar to move passed the fight and towards the airlock. It was only ten meters away. One of the Krogan grabbed the warriors left arm and bent in backwards until it cracked loudly. It caused the warrior to scream in pain. He managed to punch the other Krogan square in the jaw, hard enough to make him stumble back. Smacking his fists together and roaring the Krogan grabbed two of his mandibles and-mustering all his strength-ripping them off. He proceeded to grab the remaining two mandibles from the screaming enemy and ripping them off with Purplish red blood spewing like a fountain. Both Krogan let him go and stepped backwards, just looking at him.

He fell to the ground and whimpered in utter agony. The Kig-yar around had been shocked and astonished at the display of brutality. They had never seen a Sangheili dealt with like that before. A few of them empathized with the poor warrior and wanted to put him out of his misery. Sax was too shocked to intervene. The Krogan broke his other arm before one of them clambered down on his chestplate hard enough to after a few moments, crack his bones and collapse his chest and squashing everything in the way. A few agonizing breaths escaped the Sangheili before he was finished off with a Shotgun blast to the face.

Sax quickly composed himself after the gruesome scene had ended. "Let's get inside that ship."

* * *

It didn't take long to secure the Corvette. It had been manned by thirty pirates. The poor bastards didn't stand a chance. Sax sat down in the comfy Captain's chair and leaned back with a comfy moan. The men was loading up the last supplies from the storage. Roark looked over the ships logs for any interesting information while they waited.

The Ibie'shan turned back to sax after a while.

"Figured out some half interesting things about this ship and its Shipmaster," he said.

Sax opened his eyes and straightened up.

"What?"

Roark cleared his throat. "First off, it belongs to some poor T'vaoan Shipmaster from one of the colonies furthest from Eayn."

Sax tilted his head and raised an eyebrow.

"Really? He's done anything interesting in his career?"

"Nah, mostly just attacking defenseless transports and mining outposts. Although he did attack a Corvette belonging to some ex-Covenant faction," Roark continued. "Took a beating in the fight but managed to disable and board them. Unfortunately he lost two thirds of his crew in the process."

"Dumb rookie," Sax snorted and shook his head. "Poor bastards." He then peaked his curiosity. "Anything about our unlucky Sangheili?"

"Actually yes. They took two Kig-yar and a Sangheili captive in the boarding attempt. The prior was later blown into space but the Sangheili suffered memory loss after an explosion. Woke up and had no idea who he was or where. Suffered some extensive damage to his brain. They convinced him he was a member of the crew according to the log. They came here to resupply and recruit new men for the…meat grinder."

Sax understood how lucky they had been. An undermanned ship with a Shipmaster with no skill. He frowned then.

"Did we kill any T'vaoans?"

Roark shook his head. "Nope."

"He's out there then. Hmm. lucky shit." He leaned back again.

"Sorry to interrupt boss," a Kig-yar looking over the communications console said. "Kegg is contacting you."

Sax rolled his eyes and got up. "Activate the screen."

The face of the Krogan appeared. By the looks he was on the bridge of the other Corvette. He had been successful to apparently.

"I greet you from the…" Sax started before realizing he didn't know the ships name.

" _Swimming Liquor_ ," Roark whispered.

What an awful name, he thought. He thought quickly. "…eh, the _Birds of a Feather_!"

Kegg arched his right eyebrow but Sax waved him off.

"Better than the original, trust me," he assured him.

"Fine," Kegg shrugged. "This vessel is now Vezk's. I presume your is as well."

"And easily so. Wasn't much of a fight to be honest. Kinda disappointing to your Krogan soldiers. The expected more."

Kegg laughed at that. "I expect nothing less. You birds haven't been able to provide a real fight yet!" He grinned at Sax. "No offense."

Sax forced a simple smile. "None taken big man. What's with the boss? Is it going alright?"

"They're in the thick of it last I heard. But the second wave is on board and they are cutting a bloody path to the bridge. With the hangar under his control Vezk's rear guard managed to eliminate three Phantoms with troops from the surface. Crew tried getting back up. Let's get both these ships into orbit and join the others."

"You named yours?" Sax asked.

Kegg groaned annoyed. "No. Leave that to Vezk."

Sax nodded and complied. As long as he kept the name he gave the Corvette he took.

 **22** **nd** **July 2174 CE**

 **Attican Traverse, Gadd**

 **Legionnaire class Carrier** _ **Palaven's Pride**_

Raedimus stood firmly in front of his command chair and watched with surprise as the remaining enemy squadrons withdrew. Maybe they didn't want to suffer any more losses or even attempt to avoid fighting the Turians and their enemies at ones. This fact was supported as the remainder of their fleet began withdrawing. It allowed the Turian and UNSC ships to close in on Gadd itself.

Raedimus still had Captain Brett West.

"Do these people usually retreat from a fleet outgunned and outnumbered?" He asked the UNSC naval officer.

"Not usually, no," Captain West answered. "This is a new one for me. Not that I mind."

Raedimus smirked slightly. "Neither do I Captain." He turned to an officer. "Tell Commander Praetor to prepare her men for ground action."

"Yes Captain."

He turned to West's image on his side screen.

"Captain, I suggest we continue this effort by landing ground forces on opposite sides of the colony's largest city."

West held a friendly smile that changed to an empathetic one.

"I am sorry Captain Raedimus but I cannot commit any ground forces at this time," he said apologetically.

Raedimus furrowed his eyebrows. "May I ask why Captain?"

West leaned forward and then got up from his chair.

"Captain, my deepest apologies but my men are few in numbers and simple not ready to commit to a ground engagement."

"Captain. I was informed that you carried men and vehicles that could drop in and assist in retaking Gadd," the Turian Captain told him straight up.

West nodded. "Partially true, yes, but they are too few in numbers and they are not ready at this time. My deepest apologizes but I cannot help. I am sorry Captain."

At this point, Captain West was lying his ass off. His detachment of marines was perfectly ready and equipped for a ground operation. Vehicles and fighter support an all. But, he had no intention to risk more human lives then necessary to help the Turians. Not only did they attack them on sight when they first met, but they were aliens. Why should any human die of any aliens? Especially these? Since he had been ordered to assist he had to, but he could excuse not getting men and women killed in a ground operation to save alien lives. It didn't make sense.

Raedimus nodded slowly and kept his frustration below the surface.

"Very well. I sympathize with your situation Captain," he said understandingly.

Actually, he understood more than West thought. He knew there was bound to be animosity between humans and Turians. And aliens in general given their history. The treaty they were agreeing to for mutual aid was a shock that they had actually signed.

Unknown to Raedimus knowledge that was causing uproar and anger back home. A whole bunch of regular people was outraged. They weren't alone either. A lot of high ranking people in the military and a few members of the assembly was upset too.

Raedimus felt a bit betrayed that he couldn't count on the UNSC completely in battle, although, it was true that they hadn't hesitated when they had arrived. Off course they had little choice then. Now they had and refused. He understood their unwillingness though. If the roles were reversed he'd feel the same way no doubt.

"Commander Praetor is ready and standing by, sir," he was told.

Ira Praetor led a Regiment of marines. The 106th to be precise. She was a close friend to Raedimus and had been since their childhood.

"Excellent," he said. "Let's take our…" he paused when the enemy ships jumped into what he presumed was their version of FTL. They just left. Without any further fighting. So, did they only fight at the start to prevent any further bloodshed and retreat? If that was the case they might want to establish relations with the Council races. But any further speculation he left up to the diplomats and Councilors on the Citadel.

 **23** **rd** **July 2174 CE**

 **Inner Council space, Citadel**

 **Presidium embassies**

Ambassador Udina had gone for a midday walk and had now stopped to look as the newest delegation to the Citadel made themselves at home. The Sword of Sanghelios. A few soldiers for protection and at least one diplomat. He could feel anger building up inside of him. Having the Elites…no…damn it, the Sangheili on the Citadel wasn't what he wanted. It was bad for the UNSC's diplomatic relations with the Council races.

He was worried that the Sangheili would be more open to trade technology with the Council. Trade slipspace technology against information on how to correctly utilize the Mass Relays. Maybe even shield and weapons technologies. Which would be devastating to the technological superiority the UNSC had had since making first contact with them. If any of this happened it would ensure that The Sword of Sanghelios and the Council races would start developing a friendship and a positive long term relation. That could push the UNSC out of the chess board entirely. He could definitely see the Sangheili see the advantage of trading with the Citadel before anyone else.

He had already sent a report back explaining that they were here and given his concern about it.

He sat down on a bench and groaned over the dilemma.

Technically they were allied with Arbiter Vadam's faction but they still competed.

"Good day Ambassador," Garrus said politely.

Udina broke from his thought and looked at the Turian C-Sec officer.

"Ah, good day indeed," he answered.

"Overlooking the new addition to the embassies?" Garrus asked casually.

Udina gestured for him to sit down.

"Donnel Udina. I you've figured out I represent humanity here," he introduced himself.

Garrus offered his hand and Udina shook it.

"Officer Garrus Vakarian," he said. "A pleasure, sir."

Udina looked at him for a moment. "Aha, yes!" He then said. "You handled the incident with two ODST officers and a private."

Garrus nodded. "Everlasting Night Bar, yep. Sure was." He nodded to the two Sangheili strolling about some thirty meters away. "Didn't answer my question, sir."

Udina chuckled lightly. "True, officer Vakarian. How true. Actually I was. I is curious to see them interact with everyone here. All this…" he gestured around them. "Feels so…unreal still. You understand we've been sitting in our little corner of the galaxy for ages and then, suddenly we discover the galaxy is a whole lot bigger than we ever even imagined and with more races than we ever thought possible."

Garrus nodded.

"We've been sitting and seething in our xenophobia for thirty years. No one's ever forced us to question that not all aliens are assholes until we encountered you. The Elites-Sangheili switching sides barely counts since it was an alliance forged out of necessity. Nothing more. Nothing less."

Again, Garrus nodded. "I see."

* * *

I know you're probably wondering who the big seven was mentioned earlier. Not to worry, we'll find out more in later chapters.

Also I'm sorry it took so long. Lot to do, plus some writers block with one part specifically. Finally I managed to work through it though.


	10. Chapter 10 Push on

Halo New galaxy Ch10 Push on

 **25** **th** **July 2554**

 **Riga Lillo system, Rio**

The 29th Sky Hopper Battalion had pushed onward after capturing the town held by the Storm and then continued towards the northern beaches. They had found as suspected-the town's inhabitance had been slaughtered-and only a few lucky had hidden and managed to survive. After communicating with Lt. General Horus Shepard led his Battalion into a three pronged attack on the Storm's position along the beaches. Vector, Bravo and Sierra Company's assaulted Storm positions in three different locations with Alpha and Charlie acting as backup and rearguard.

Shepard was taking cover behind a rock formation as super-heated plasma bolts spewed all around him. With a tight grip around his BR85 he peeked up and spewed back a burst of lead. He quickly got back down when a row of bolts almost scratched his helmet.

"Stay down, sir!" Reiben shouted over the fire of plasma and bullets. With her squad covering them she stood up and leveled her SAW at the Storm Elites.

She released a deadly hail of rounds over them. Before she ducked back down she counted two Elites going down.

They were still two hundred meters from the ocean. Above them an aero war was being thought. At the moment Shepard and his detail was fighting with Captain Hendricks and her Bravo Company.

"Stay down yourself Holly," Shepard told the Staff Sergeant.

"Just trying to keep them off you, sir," she responded quickly.

"Which I appreciate," Shepard acknowledged. "But don't throw your own life away by getting sloppy. ODSTs don't get sloppy."

She nodded. "Yes, sir!"

"Good. Glad we understand each other." Shepard looked at the Squad members of his security detail in turn. They were hunkered down behind the same rock formation, which countless troopers around them.

"Medic!" Someone shouted. "Hershel's down!"

Shepard got his grenade out. "If you got a frag left, be ready to throw it on my mark."

The squad did so. Reiben didn't but only because she had run out of frags an hour ago. Specifically when the Lt. Colonel decided to clear out a building on the front lines. Which he did no matter her protests. But Shepard knew he made the Staff's job hard as hell sometimes, but she was good at attempting to his decisions.

"Mark!" He barked.

They lobbed their grenades over towards the enemy.

A few aliens yelled before they detonated and caused screams. Reiben was the first to get up and open up a barrage of lead, but was quickly joined by others. She saw a few Grunts that appeared to have been killed by the grenades and two Elites. A third was bleeding badly but still standing. He fired his Plasma rifle were he stood up behind cover. He roared angrily.

A burst from Shepard's BR85 put three rounds straight through his right eye socket.

"Move up!" He ordered.

In the good old days he would take point himself but as a Lt. Colonel had to let Reiben's detail do their part and create a circle around him. Reiben herself led up front with her SAW at the ready.

Shepard gave the Staff Sergeant a glance over from behind his visor. She reminded him of himself in his younger rookie days. Eager, adaptive and led from up front instead of from behind her men. But she was too quick to charge into battle without thinking first.

He didn't think any more about that and took cover behind a wrecked Wraith tank when a trigger happy Grunt behind a turret. It rattled away with a hail of plasma. His flank was guarded by three Grunts and a Skirmisher.

Damn, Shepard hadn't seen a Skirmisher for a long time. He knew a lot had been used on Reach and before that but after Reach there were rarely seen in combat anymore. It looked like so many had died at that point that the Covenant couldn't resupply their numbers, which now was a problem inherited by the splinter factions such as the Storm.

An Elite ran up to the turret and fired his Storm rifle.

"Can't get a shot at 'em!" Reiben told Shepard.

"Wait for the turret to overheat!" Shepard responded.

She nodded swiftly. She felt bad that she hadn't thought of that. It was a rookie mistake. Again. She mentally kicked herself.

"Some time you gotta sit back and think," Shepard said. He then turned his attention to the turret before she could respond. He was surprised when a rocket striked the turret, eliminated everyone present.

"You're welcome, sir," Hendricks said over his commlink.

He spotted the ODST Captain moving up with a Platoon of troopers.

"Nice of you to join us Pamela," Shepard said honestly.

"I got your back," she answered dutifully. "Bravo's pushing through. 2nd Platoon have cracked the Storm's lines and scattered a bunch of the bastards."

Shepard chuckled. He moved up with Reiben right beside him and her team flanking him.

"My snipers and mortars took out a Storm sniping position overlooking the beaches," Hendricks brought her CO up to speed. "So we don't need to worry about snipers taking potshots at us."

"Excellent," Shepard approved. Then he spoke into his comm. "Daniella, what's your status?"

" _Sir, we are pressing onward,"_ Daniella Cornfield responded.

"Keep at it," Shepard said.

" _Yes sir. We have a bunch of infantry heading your way. They're withdrawing to the tarmac I bet."_

"Understood." He then contacted Hathaway. "York, how's your boys doing?" He asked the Vector Company CO.

" _Colonel,"_ Hathaway replied. His voice was strained and his breathing heavy. _"Got trouble here. Lots of armor and air support. Our pilots trying their best but the damned Storm don't want to lose their improvised tarmac."_

"The Storm's started falling back, York," he informed him. "I'm going to have Bravo try shutting it down by taking the mid-section."

" _Copy that. My boys are only advancing slowly until we can take out the heavy vehicles. Hathaway out."_

Shepard then called in John Keegan's Alpha Company to join Bravo and prevent the Storm from reaching the tarmac and establishing a strong presence there. It would make it a lot harder to get them off Rio with a strongly held foothold.

The 50 caliber on top a Warthog danced over the aliens as a trio of Warthogs approached the Storm's lines with drop troopers in support. They moved right in between the ex-Covies lines and scattered the local soldiers.

Shepard spotted an Elite Commander. He was shouting and pointing left and right, directing the Grunts, Jackals and Elites present on the battlefield. One Elite obeyed and took five Jackals and a Squad's worth of Grunts to reinforce the right flank. The Commander was desperately trying to halt the troopers advance by reshuffling his men and reorganizing the defense.

Shepard marked the Commander on his HUD.

"Armored Platoon, this in Colonel Shepard," he said.

"Gunnery Sergeant Bergman, sir!" The voice of a drop trooper replied.

"Marking the enemy Commander and sending it to you Gunny," Shepard informed him. "Take the fucker out."

"On it, sir!"

Shepard fired three bursts into the shields of a Storm Elite with a Storm rifle. With some assisting bullets from two men from his detail the Elite's shields fell and Shepard put a single slug through his skull.

Two 50 Calibers laid down a barrage onto the Storm Commander. They did quick work of his shields and they turned the alien bastard into Swiss cheese.

Shepard moved up with Reiben's Squad to join the Warthogs.

With their Commander down the Storm was getting desperate. They had to hold to allow their comrades in arms to make it safely to the base south of there.

Five Grunts grabbed a plasma grenade each and charged screaming into battle in a suicidal last attempt to hold their ground.

"Take them out, quickly!" Shepard shouted and fired a burst through one of their chests.

The little alien fell and the grenade exploded a short moment later. The other four Grunts was spread out enough to avoid getting blown up by the detonation.

Reiben's SAW ripped two of them apart and other troopers easily dispatched the remaining two before they reached them. But one Grunt managed to throw his grenade before dying. It landed smack down in the lap of one of the Warthog drivers.

"Oh fuck fuck fuck!" He cried out in quickly rising panic.

The explosion tore the Warthog apart but everyone else inside managed to get out in the last second. They got a few scraps and burns but they survived.

Shepard ran to one of the wounded.

"Are you alright trooper?" He asked.

He groaned but nodded. "I'll live!"

Shepard waved over a medic to help the trooper.

* * *

Meanwhile Hendricks was pushing on from the front. Leading a Platoon up front she kept pushing. She took a knee to reload her SAW quickly as the Platoon covered her by continuing the push forward. They were only seventy meters from the ocean. Shepard was currently a hundred meters from the ocean.

She looked up when she heard Pelicans above. A Squadron of them flew over them and unloaded a wave of missiles at the beaches. Their 70mm cannons then turned their attention to the infantry.

" _Captain Hendricks, we're pushing through the turrets as we speak,"_ 3rd Platoon's CO informed her.

"Good going Lieutenant," Hendricks complemented him. "That's good work right there. Congratulate your men and keep up the momentum. We're not far from the beaches."

" _Yes ma'am!"_

She jogged up to the first lines of her troopers. On the way she jumped over a dead Jackal littered with bullet holes.

"Elites ten o'clock!" A Corporal alerted.

In fact three Elites charged them with Storm rifles blasting. The continual firing of plasma quickly overheated two of the Storm rifles and the Elites throw them aside and drew an energy sword each. One of them quickly went down with a barrage of rounds. The third fired his rifle slower and kept it from overheating in five seconds of firing. Hendricks aimed her SAW and mowed the Elite down. Surprisingly he didn't have shields so he went down fast. For an Elite anyway. They were pretty strong in general.

That left one Elite with an energy sword. He charged right at the troopers with his shields taking quickly taking a beating. He finally leaped forward and decapitated a trooper and quickly ran the sword through the guts of a female trooper and kicked another close by to the ground. When a Lance Corporal stuck a Shotgun in his face and pulled the trigger the suicidal rampage ended.

"Caster you good?" Hendricks asked the man who had been kicked down.

"Y-yeah sir. I'm good. Just got the air kicked out of me," he responded.

"Good, keep moving. Don't give them time to breathe," Hendricks said firmly.

She aimed with her SAW and let lose a burst that killed two Grunts charging out with Plasma pistols blazing. Their blood splattered in the green summer grass, piling on the mass of dead ex-Covies that already filled the area. Although an amount of troopers had already joined them, it wasn't nearly many enough to make the Storm's holding action profitable from a strategic standpoint.

"See that turret, sir?!"

Hendricks had indeed spotted the unmanned plasma turret fifteen meters ahead. But she also spotted a Jackal running to it. He had his energy shield up to protect himself from any trooper going for a kill. Four Storm Grunts was moving up with Plasma pistols firing.

"Don't let that Jackal reach the turret!" She commanded.

With that she started running. She had to kill the Jackal or he'd kill several of our men would die. She hung her Saw over her back and drew up her M7 SMG and fired a burst into the closest Grunt. His comrade was shot down by a fellow trooper running behind her. She shifted her aim and mowed down the third Grunt. The fourth zeroed in on her and a blast impacted her armor. She kept up her momentum and sprayed him down with a burst of lead. Two of her men forced the Jackal to turn in their direction to avoid getting killed. But it gave Hendricks an opportunity, which she took and put a burst through his back. He toppled over dying. She finished him off with a merciful shot through his head.

In her peripheral vision she saw one of her snipers blow an Elite's brains out.

She then realized she could see the ocean and the sandy beach was just a short walk further. They had pretty much cut off the Storm's retreat and locked them into a pocket. Now they just had to make sure the rest of her Company managed to reach the beaches and then hold against the counterattack she was certain was coming.

 **25** **th** **July 2174**

 **CCS Heavy Battlecruiser** _ **Warlord's Judgement**_

Vezk was in his personal quarters on board the newest addition to his fleet-and his new flagship-the fancy giant warship he captured over Hollow. It was a heck of a battle and he lost thirty Krogan warriors and almost sixty Kig-yar. But in return they killed over one-hundred Kig-yar and Unggoy pirates on board the ship.

They were currently traveling through slipspace after dropping by a Kig-yar colony and picking up volunteer pirates for his crew. He got a total of eighty Kig-yar who surrendered and joined him and forty-four that joined him from the colony.

A few hours ago he had met with that birdbrain Sax and his loyal friend Kegg. They discussed their next course of actions. In the end Vezk decided to return home to gather Krogan warriors. It would take about a month to reach Tuchanka in slipspace so they would just travel to the closest Mass Relay and send a shuttle through. Then Vezk would go planetside himself and bring back his warriors. Thankfully his Warband back on Tuchanka had several Freighters to ferry the warriors through and onto the fleet. Off course there was no way he could fill the entire Battlecruiser. No way. It would take tens of thousands of men and he couldn't gather so many until he proved his worth to the galaxy. Something else-and boring-they needed was supplies so they would bring on board a large amount of food, medical supplies and extra weapons.

He emptied his third bottle of Ryncol.

The door panel chimed and opened. Sax appeared and stepped inside.

"I beg your pardon boss," he apologized.

"What's up little bird?" Vezk asked. He leaned back in the chair he sat in, with his feet on a table. "Important I hope."

Sax stepped further inside and dropped a pad on the table.

"I wouldn't disturb you otherwise," he assured him. "It is interesting, in nothing else. Since you asked to be kept informed about events occurring that might interest us. You I mean."

Vezk waved for him to speak.

"We managed to pick up chatter earlier. We couldn't decipher it until now. It appears two different splinter factions is invading a UNSC world. They call it Rio apparently," Sax gave him the short version. "It has been going on for weeks. A month or so I gather. The planet isn't too far away. On the edge of UNSC control space and on the edge of territory several Covenant factions fight over. Sword of Sanghelios, Mdama's Covenant, Drorzyus's Covenant and the Covenant of the Hand."

Vezk looked right at him and put his new bottle down.

"Who who and who?" He asked annoyed and confused. "I know of the Sword of Sanghelios, Jul Mdama, the Enclave but I have never heard of the others."

Sax bowed his head and raised his hands.

"Trust me big boss, I assure you that if they had been important enough I'd have told you already," he assured him. Vezk just huffed in response. "Drorzyus is a Jiralhanae Chieftain that had some amount of power before the Covenant's fall. He gathered his own faction after its fall. Unggoys, Kig-yar, Yanme'e and Jiralhanae mostly. But actually a few Sangheili willingly joined him. Why, I don't know. No one really does." He paused to breathe. "The Covenant of the Hand is this all mysterious powerful faction. Some regular-ass Sangheili is charge. But…I'd put some credits on that they have a serious chance to win this crazy conflict but-"

Vezk raised his hand to silence him.

"Too much information," he said in his raspy gruff voice.

He stood up and walked across the room.

"I have made my decision," he said grinningly.

He grabbed the bottle and almost emptied it in one fell swoop.

"Which is?" Sax asked carefully.

"We go to Rio."

Sax frowned confused. "Right…and do what boss?"

"Don't you see? This is an opportunity to prove the worth of my power and earn battle experience against the Sangheili," the Warlord started explaining. "I care little for Storm, human or any other faction here. This is an opportunity for mercenary work. I will offer the UNSC to fight beside them if they pay my price."

"Well, you think the xenophobes will accept? They don't like aliens much. Including the Sangheili and their allied with a faction of them!"

Vezk laughed lightly.

"The fact is that we can fight for any of their enemies on Rio if they decline will convince them. If it does…we fight against them instead." He then shrugged uncaringly. "I don't play to join any of them longer than the battles carries on. Unless they convince me with a mighty price." He gave a gleeful grin. "The future is knocking on your door pirate. We'd do well to let it in."

Sax just nodded. "Whatever you said boss."

* * *

I was gonig to wait a little whiel before puttign this chapter up but it's the day after Chrismas so...yeah.

Also I feel like the latter part of this chapter_being Vezk and Sax's scene-felt a bit forced. I'm sorry about that. i was out of inspiration about how to do that scene and-eventually-decided to power through it and move on.


	11. Chapter 11 Fernando Island Chain

Halo New galaxy Ch11 Fernando Island Chain

 **26** **th** **July 2554**

 **Riga Lillo system, Rio, 824** **th** **Marine Division's Headquarters**

Lt. General Horus had gathered Shepard, Mira A305 and Vice Admiral Petra Hammond. However Hammond appeared via screen. She refused to leave the Reunification when the two Ex-Covie fleets still battled in orbit. They had already crumbled in numbers, with the unknown factions having lost their Assault Carrier and Mdama's task forces flagship heavily damaged but still fighting the other faction.

The Divisions HQ had been established nearby the beaches only twenty-four hours ago. Horus wanted to move closer to the front. She felt too far away in the old HQ that was sitting in the closest town.

Horus activated the holotank and brought up a map over the region.

"The Storm has withdrawn to this island chain and are digging in," she began. "Locals named it the Fernando Island Chain. Candali, Rodman's Kingdom, Lakeside, Timber Heaven, Falling Star, Hawaii and Blue Switzerland are the islands respective names. All currently under Storm control. Thanks to our Air Force friends the Storm no longer dominate the skies."

"For now, it's closer to a stalemate, with us having more success than them," Hammond added to the briefing.

"Yes, correct Admiral," the female general said. She looked at the screen for a short moment. "My marine boys and girls have locked down every other foothold they have on the mainland. We're moving in on them as we speak. Which leaves the assault on the islands. Colonel Shepard."

"Sir," he said.

"I need your Battalion to lead the charge." She focused in the holo map on the seven islands. "If we wait for my Division to gather its strength. We're spread out too much attacking Storm holdouts to launch an all-lout offensive immediately. That'll give the enemy too much time to dig in and play defense."

Shepard nodded understandingly as he listened carefully. He theorized that General Horus wanted his drop troopers to jump in head first and jump from island to island in some kind of lightning warfare. What little he knew about Lt. General Daniella Horus was that she was calm itself with a preference for aggression in combat and firmly believed that offense was the best defense.

Around them techs and lower officers carried out tasks and keyed consoles and gave orders to different units and coordinated between the ground and aerial forces.

"Your Companies will airdrop in one per island and quickly secure an LZ. With an LZ secured I can ship in marines to assume control and secure the whole islands." She looked at Hammond for a moment.

"Unfortunately we don't have enough Pelicans to deploy larger numbers to five islands at ones," the Vice Admiral filled in. "So your marine backup will come in behind you. Hopefully the skies will be under our control at that point so the Storm won't bother them, but we can't assume that."

"Correct," Hammond started again. "The 29th Sky Hoppers will land on the first five islands, when possible, you will redeploy to assault the sixth and seventh islands." She paused. "How's your casualties?"

"Low, sir," Shepard replied. "We're strong enough to carry this out. The Sky Hoppers will kick the alien assholes off Rio for good."

Having been silent up till now Mira spoke up. "Sir."

"I know," Horus answered simple. "Your team's mission. I haven't forgotten about our greatest asset." She glanced at Shepard to see the ODST Colonel's reaction. ODSTs and Spartans weren't known to be on the best terms. But he didn't show at all that he felt any kind of disgust about the Spartans being referred to as a greater asset then his troopers. "I need Fireteam Crimson to drop on the seventh island. Blue Switzerland. Your mission is to eliminate the airfield. Destroying their airfield will cripple their aerial capabilities."

"My team will succeed, sir," Mira said flatly and stood to attention.

"I have no doubt," the general said in a finishing tone. She put her hands behind her back and looked at Mira and Shepard respectively. "Questions so far?" when she was met with silence she smiled. "Excellent. Admiral, how's your progress?"

Hammond shifted slightly in her seat before answering. "The enemy is still pummeling each other into oblivion, making it a lot easier for us. The unknown Command ship is gone with crew and all and the Storm's Command ship is crumbling in our three way fire fight."

Horus nodded to the Admiral's screen.

"If anyone can dispatch those shits, it's you Petra," she said honestly.

"I have to give my people most of the credit." She sighed. "And…the ex-Covies. If they wasn't pummeling each other this would be a lot harder. We'd be outnumbered if they hadn't already thinned each other out heavily." She finished with a smirk. "Makes it a lot easier, which I don't mind at all."

She looked at Shepard for a moment.

"Colonel Shepard. How's your Company CO's doing? No injuries?"

"None," Shepard assured her with a knowing look. He knew immediately that she was really asking about her grandkid. Daniella Cornfield, Captain of Sierra Company. "No injuries or casualties."

Horus leaned over the holo map.

"Prepare you men," she ordered Shepard. "You leave in two hours. Inform your officers and decide who drops where accordingly."

He snapped off a firm salute. "Sir!"

She then looked at Mira.

"I want to go through the details of your operation in private."

"Yes general," complied Mira.

Shepard knew his men was itching to continue the fight. To continue kicking the aliens off Rio. They had mostly rested up and helped eliminate straggling groups of Storm infantry still present. He worried about dropping in with minimal Intel about enemy numbers. If he spread out too thin he could lose several of his Companies. It was a pretty aggressive plan, but if it went wrong Shepard's Battalion would pay the price. If the Storm's air power wasn't broken his troopers would be trapped without reinforcements. A lot of this operation depended on everything going perfectly well. Hopefully the general had a backup plan.

* * *

Shepard cocked his BR85N and jumped inside the Pelican. It was time to launch the operation to free five of the islands from the Jul Mdama's forces iron grip. It was up to Cornfield's Sierra Company to take the first island and the second fell to Hathaway's. The third was Keegan's and the fourth Hendricks with the fifth was Wu's Company. Shepard himself joined Cornfield and Sierra Company.

"Hey Colonel!" A cheerful and familiar voice said through his helmet comm.

He recognized it to be the same pilot as when he landed back on the 22nd.

"I see you're still flying around," Shepard said.

"Yeah. Happy to see you made it through this far too, sir," the male pilot said honestly. "But I expect nothing less from someone with your reputation Colonel."

"How's the skies looking?" Shepard asked as the Pelican took off.

"Hmph. Well, the xenos put up a freaking hard fight," he said somberly. "Lost a lot of good pilots. But don't worry. I'll get you to the island in one piece. Apollo Squadron won't fail."

"I have no doubt." Shepard sat down. "What's your name?"

"First Lieutenant Duke. Julian Duke."

"Lt. Colonel John Shepard, but I guess you know already."

The pilot chuckled lightly. "Yes, sir! To be fair you're a bit of a legend since the war. What you did on Nebula Station is legendary in the ranks. Air Force, navy, army, marines whatever. Helljumper's. Hell man. Kinda like one of those Spartans or something. I mean one of the threes not the new punch. They're not as skill I heard. Rumors say the older is better."

"You're not gonna compare me with the old Spartan IIs right?" Shepard hoped. He wasn't _that_ good.

Duke laughed.

Shepard noticed that Daniella looked at him from across.

"I'll leave you to your flying so we don't crash," he lightly joked with their pilot.

"Haha, I'll do my best to stay airborne," Duke promised.

Shepard shifted to a private frequency with Daniella.

"What's on your mind?" He asked friendly.

It took her a moment to say anything.

"I…I am concerned about something," she admitted. Her voice was tense.

"You know you can always speak freely. What's on your mind?"

"Well, sir…" She paused. "This isn't the time."

"Alright. We can do this after the mission. Ok?"

"…Sure."

"If it's about the mission though-"

"It isn't," Daniella quickly interrupted him. "I got it. We go in, kill everything not human, wait for the jarheads, move on to the sixth or seventh island and kill everything there. It wasn't hard to get."

"Sounds about right. By the way Daniella, she asked about you."

"My grandma? Really?" She was hesitant to ask.

"She was as subtle as she could, but yes. Asked about my Company Captains well-being."

Daniella scoffed. "Doesn't sound that subtle."

Shepard titled his head and breathed out.

"She's worried about you."

"I get that, but I don't need a Vice Admiral looking over my shoulder," she said adamantly.

The rest of the journey Candali was mostly silent, apart from a few conversations between the men. They were mostly about family combined with jokes and how they wanted to kick some xeno ass and kill 'em all for slaughtering the innocent town folk in the nearby towns and villages. Candali was the smallest island in the chain only being three kilometers in length. It had the fourth smallest population, since Timber Heaven, Rodman's Kingdom and Blue Switzerland had a local population of zero. Candali had two-hundred civvies living on it. Or it did. Shepard hoped to find survivors but experienced told him that the ex-Covies rarely left survivors. Most of the two-hundred civvies was certainly dead. If not all of them.

"We are landing on the beach in one minute," Duke said over the comm. "Ready yourselves ladies and gents."

"How's the LZ looking Lieutenant?" Shepard asked.

"Hostiles are approaching. Gonna be a firefight."

"Copy."

"Colonel, all Platoons ready for immediate action," Daniella told him. "3rd Platoon with Lieutenant Horse is first down."

"Understood," he answered simply.

3rd Platoon's 1st Lieutenant Marvin Horse was a damn good trooper. He was a career soldier with twenty-two years of experience. He was approaching forty-one years old. He'd lived through the majority of the war and fought through more battlefields then most of the boys and girls in the ODST Battalion had ever seen. The reason he wasn't ranked higher than a 1st Lieutenant was because he had refused several promotions. Shepard had made a mental note of asking him about it ages ago but never had the time.

This whole thing felt like the war all over again to Shepard. Apart from the suicidal attacks from Grunts and armor change it all felt like a déjà vu.

"Welcome to Candali," Duke said as the Pelican sat down and opened the ramp.

Daniella and Shepard ran outside together with the Platoon with them. They found Horse's men fighting already and their Pelican taking off. They could also see bodies and marks from Pelican missiles hitting the tree line and killing a large amount of Grunts and a Hunter. Made them feel pretty lucky.

"Create a defensive perimeter!" Daniella shouted at her men. She then gave orders over comm to men not in shouting distance.

The other Pelicans bringing in her remaining Platoons was setting down.

Two Companies worth of Jackals, Elites and Grunts was firing at them.

Shepard put a three-round burst that cracked a Jackals helmet and killed him.

He quickly overlooked his surroundings with a tactical eye. They landed on a sandy beach, fifteen meter long and ended in green grass and twenty meters later there was a tree line. Currently forty Jackals and Grunts with a handful Elites charged towards them from the edge between the sand and grass. They charged in a half circle like madmen ready to throw themselves into the meat grinder.

"Reiben!" Shepard alerted.

The Staff Sergeant turned her head to her superior.

He pointed towards one of the Elites. It charged with ten Grunts.

"Take that thing down!" He ordered.

"Copy!" She shifted the SAW and rained a hail of lead over the Elite and the Grunts with it.

It took a few seconds for half the Grunts to topple over in the sand and leaked blue blood. One of the little buggers got hit by four bullets. He leaked blood but barely slowed down. He kept charging and firing his Fuel Rod. He used it perfectly and scored a hit, ripping a trooper's upper body into pieces. A sniper round hit his helmet and cracked it. Even when losing his mask he held his breathe-ignoring the bleeding from the left side of his head-and dropped the Fuel Rod cannon and went for a simple Plasma pistol. He started firing crazily and hit two troopers, scrapping one's chest armor and hitting the other in the leg.

Reiben and three of her eight Squad members filled the Elite she fired at with bullet holes and brought him down. A Grunt started running away but was shot in the back by the wounded crazed Grunt that continued holding his breath since he couldn't breathe the atmosphere. He managed to fire three bolts at a trooper. His visor was hit straight on and he was dead before he hit the ground.

The crazed Grunt drew upon a Plasma grenade when his pistol overheated. But finally three rounds ripped through his head and finished his fanatical killing spree. The man killing him was 3rd Platoon's CO Lieutenant Marvin Horse.

The last Pelicans landed to drop off the Company's last Platoon. The 4th. The other four had already made it dirt-or sand-side.

A Squad of troopers put up a turret and one of them started mowing down everything none-human moving on the left flank.

"Go die you sons of bitches!" He screamed.

It didn't take long clearing up the aliens. Shepard was certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that a second wave was being prepared to attack them. He patiently waited for a moment as Daniella was giving orders and moving her men up towards the tree line. He didn't intend to micromanage her Company without a damn good reason to do so. Such as incompetence and Daniella was far from incompetent. Not a lot of people managed to become a Captain at twenty-three.

After giving her Lieutenant's orders Daniella turned to Shepard.

"I'm thinking we got another wave incoming soon," she said.

Shepard nodded and smiled behind his visor. "I agree." He looked at the perimeter being established. He then looked up towards the sky. "As long as the perimeter holds and the air boys clears the skies, we're in a good spot."

He wagered that Hathaway had reached his target by now. The others had longer to travel and was probably still in transit. Hathaway's Vector Company was tasked to take the island Rodman's Kingdom. Shepard could swear that whoever first explored the island was a guy named Rodman. Without a doubt.

" _Colonel Shepard,"_ Shepard heard in his comm. _"This is your eye in the sky. Ya got incoming marching up front the dirt road through the forest."_

It was one of the pilots above them.

"Appreciate the warning. Thanks."

" _No prob. Sir! My Squadron's moving in to cause some damage before they hit you. Got some armor with 'em."_

Shepard turned his head to Daniella.

"Get rocket launchers up to the road. Next wave incoming!" She ordered immediately. "3rd Platoon on me, move up!"

"How much time we have? What kind of armor's we got?" Shepard asked.

" _One kilometer away with four Ghosts leading the charge with ten Revenants, three Wraiths and a battalion's worth of troops…okay sir, my boys over the settlement reported in. Looks like the majority of the xenos is heading your way. But they're two kilometers from your current location."_

"How many we're taking Major?"

" _One Battalion's worth of troops with all armored vehicles. Wraiths, Revenants, Spectres, Ghosts, Banshees and even some of those Goblin mech things. The lot."_

"Thanks for the update. Stay safe up there Major," Shepard said calmly. He was surprised that any of those walker things was here. But that was a hell of a mix of armor coming their way. But first they needed to think of the incoming wave. They needed to take out those Wraiths quick.

When he reached the front troopers and moved up to Daniella.

"Daniella. Which Platoon can you spare right now?" He asked directly.

"Eh…2nd, sir," she said, albeit confused of his purpose for this line of questioning. El-Tee Pavlenko is a good Platoon CO."

"Excellent. I'm going to lead them into the forest and ambush the Covies." He raised his hand when Reiben tried to protest. He continued looking at Daniella, with Reiben standing in his peripheral vision at the moment. "When you strike, we'll be positioned behind them and in a position to eliminate the Wraiths before they liquefy our men."

With that he opened a channel to Pavlenko.

"Lieutenant Pavlenko. Get your Platoon up here now."

 _"Sir, yes, sir!"_

"We're gonna set up an ambush."

It took fifteen seconds for the Platoon to meet up with Shepard.

"Good luck, sir," Daniella said honestly with some worry about her CO jumping right into the battle.

Reiben definitely knew the feeling. Ones again the Colonel put himself on the most dangerous part of the battlefield. It was like he was intentionally planned ways to make her job harder.


	12. Chapter 12 Setback

Halo New galaxy Ch12 Setback

 **26** **th** **July 2554**

 **Riga Lillo system, Rio, Lakeside**

John Keegan's Alpha Company had established an LZ thirty minutes ago. Lakeside was the second largest island with twelve km and a population of one-hundred fifty-thousand. Most of the island was just city-scape and so they had touched down in the harbor area.

The Storm began a ninth attempt to kick them off three minutes ago. Just two minutes ago he had been informed that the enemy aerial forces above his head was too strong and his marine reinforcements had turned back to avoid losing too many men and Pelicans before reaching Lakeside. He understood the logic but without backup his Company couldn't hold out.

It was going way better for everyone else. Mostly anyway. Shepard and Cornfield was in a little trouble but they remained firm, Major Hathaway was establishing an LZ on the second island. Hendricks and Wu had both succeeded to secure their own LZs. But Keegan was in trouble. They were defending the LZ from three Covie attacks from different directions. With the sea at their backs at least the Covies couldn't attack from a fourth direction.

"Wraith is disabled, Captain!" A Lieutenant informed Keegan.

"Great work," he complemented the officer through the comm. He kept his head down from the store window as plasma rained down on his position. "How's the rest of the armored convoy?"

" _Two Banshees down. But that's it!"_

A Storm convoy had driven up on their left flank when the engagement began. Two Wraiths-both destroyed already-with Banshees and twelve Spectres plus a full Company of troops. At the same time three Companies had attacked the center of their lines and a Company of heavily armored shock troops charged into their right flank. Out of two-hundred and fifty ODSTs one-hundred was dead and another hundred was injured in some way, although most was able to continue fighting. After constant attacks Keegan's men was getting tired and their ammo was starting to run low.

" _Another wing of Banshees incoming, three o'clock!"_ The acting CO from 2nd Company reported with an exhausted voice. The action CO was dead. He was injured and a volunteer Pelican tried flying injured out-including him. But the Pelican was destroyed in flight.

"Again," Keegan grunted.

He already had two Squadrons of Banshees above their heads. Both had half strength at this point but a third Squadron didn't help.

"How's our pilot doing?"

" _He's all right, but with so many Banshees it won't last."_

A pelican pilot was still here. He was flying close to the ground among the buildings and towers and did his best to level out the aerial stage. He was out of missiles and would soon be out of munitions completely.

The store Keegan was taking cover in was acting as their HQ and infirmary.

1st Platoon's medic came over and kneeled in cover beside him.

"Captain. I'm sorry to tell you Lieutenant Bowie just died," he informed him in an accent Keegan connected with-the formerly glassed-Reach. "Too much internal bleedings. 2nd Lieutenant Curry is about to join him." The medic spoke with sorrow in his voice.

"Can't you do anything for her?" Keegan asked.

The medic hung his head. "No sir. If I had a functioning medical wing, sure. But she needs surgery say, fifteen minutes ago. I don't know who's third in line to lead 1st Platoon it seems to be time to get him or her ready for it."

"Thanks doc," Keegan appreciated that he came over to tell him in person. Keegan quickly narrowed it down to a Master Sergeant. Most officers in 2nd was already dead.

He left cover and fired at a Jackal getting ready to throw a plasma grenade. He hit the grenade and detonated it, killing the Jackal and three Grunts.

He returned to cover and peeked across the harbors small plaza at 5th Platoon's position. He could only see two Hunters now. The third was apparently down, thanks god. His attention quickly shifted to a new armored convoy. It came down the street from the east. It was two Spectres with a Wraith in the back, surrounded by three Platoons worth of Elites. He wished they still had some mines left, but all had gone up in the third wave.

"Captain!" The acting CO of 4th Platoon shouted over the battle roars on the comm. "I have to retreat to the secondary positions! We can't hold it any longer!"

"Go ahead Staff," Keegan allowed.

He ducked down further when the building shook heavily. It was from a Wraith bombarding the area and a Squadron of Banshees making an attack-run on their location.

He felt his sweat slowly dripping inside his helmet. It was forty degrees here. Celsius, for the record.

"Squad Roman, report progress," he ordered.

The Squad was holding three floors above them and provided sniper cover and heavy fire for the hostiles in the air.

"Roman Squad, report in," Keegan said. "Stephen, you read?" No answer. _Damn_.

He gripped his MA5D tighter and peeked over the window edge covering him. He unloaded one burst of three rounds into a Grunt, killing the little bastard immediately. He had been rushing a Fireteams position with a Plasma pistol and a plasma grenade. The next burst he directed at an Elite. The shields protecting the alien from injuries.

He took cover before the Elite could zone in on him.

"Private," he looked at a trooper beside him.

"Sir!"

"Go check up on Roman Squad. They're not responding," Keegan ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

He scurried off through the smashed up store to a staircase that led through the buildings floors.

Keegan got out of cover and fired two bursts at the same Elite as before. He squeezed off a third before the elite fired back at him. He got back in cover. _Goddamn it_. When he got out and fired a fifth and sixth burst two Jackals had come up with energy shields for the Elite to use for moving cover. When two more Elites rushed over Keegan presumed that one guy he tired taking down was pretty important. He wasn't wearing anything that identified him as an officer of any rank.

He figured maybe these new guys was trying to stop wearing armor depending on your ranks. Maybe they had finally realized it made 'em big targets in combat.

A well-thrown frag crippled one of the Jackals and wounded two Elites. No fatalities though. The other Jackal deactivated his energy shield in order to properly grab his wounded comrade and drag him to safety.

 _Well what do you know_ , Keegan mused. _Looks like those guys found some real comradery_.

It wasn't something he was used to see. The old Covenant never cared about their troops and he'd almost never seen comradery among their troops. Maybe this splinter group was different. But he was quickly proven wrong when the original Elite pushed the Jackal dragging his friend back aside and roared. It probably meant charge or something since the nearby troops started advancing quickly, firing like madmen.

Keegan fired a burst of three bullets into an Elites skull when he saw the warrior's shields dropping under a barrage of battle rifle rounds.

"Captain," Keegan heard the voice of the soldier he'd sent to check up on Roman Squad. "They're all dead, I think…"

"What you mean you think?" Keegan demanded a more certain answer.

"…Nothing much l-left," was the answer.

The Captain took a deep breath. "Copy. Get back down here."

He had assumed the worst when he didn't get contact, but now he knew no one needed help or it was just a radio malfunction.

 _Goddamn it!_ He decided to let his anger and frustration out the easiest way. He got up straight and squeezed the trigger. He sprayed bullets onto the advancing six aliens. He hit the shields of three different Elites before the assault rifle ran dry. He got back down into cover and started to reload it with a fresh mag. He heard a crash in the midst of reloading. He had heard that sound several times since they arrived and it was a Banshee crashing. A beautiful sound. He felt a little better after taking his anger out over the Elites. Would have been better if he killed one or two off course.

Screams of men filled their air for a moment but quickly grew silent. He wasn't sure how long he could hold out until he ran out of men.

He finally got up and unloaded another hail. One of the charging Elites went down. He noted that two had gone down during the time he reloaded. That left three. A few Shotgun shots killed one of them when he got too close to a Fireteam.

" _John, how's your status?"_ Keegan heard Shepard through his comm.

"Colonel!" He exclaimed in relief. "We're in trouble. Storm doesn't want to give up Lakeside and my marine backup turned back!"

" _Yes, I just heard. I am stepping on board a Pelican right now. Sierra Company's being rotated off Candali after the 824_ _th_ _boys arrived. We're on our way to help you."_

"The aerial support for the Covies is too hard. You won't get through, sir," Keegan said. "That's why the marines turned around."

" _Those marines is going to follow us in. sooner or later. And don't worry about the enemy fighters. Leave that to our pilots,"_ Shepard said steadily.

"Understood. Good luck, sir," Keegan complied. God knew he needed help badly.

* * *

Yeah I know it's short but I'll make up for it with the next chapter. Don't worry!

I'm planning on getting out the next out tomorrow.

Happy New Year!


	13. Chapter 13 Krogan and Sangheili

Halo New galaxy Ch13 Krogan and Sangheili

 **26** **th** **July 2554**

 **Inner Citadel space, Citadel**

 **Presidium, UNSC Embassy**

Ambassador Donnel Udina and Brigadier General Ronald Hessen was locking their eyes with the older woman on the screen in front of them. Udina was sitting back in his chair with a glass of Serrice Ice Brandy in his right hand-a bottle standing on the right side of his desk-and the short marine general standing steadily on his left side.

The woman was the elected Speaker of the Assembly and the acting head of the UEG, until the presidential election. Udina and Hessen had bad news for her, as she had for them. A mutual bad news giving situation.

"We didn't expect the people to react so violently," the Speaker admitted.

"Signing a treaty with an alien _Conclave_?" Udina retorted. "You thought everyone would be okay with that? Maybe they'd understand an exchange of technology but military assistance. Hell no!"

"How's it looking right now?" Hessen asked. Pointedly.

The Speaker sighed. "We have Massive protests and riots on every mayor city on every UNSC planet. The people are outraged over the pact with the Citadel Council."

Udina wished he could say he didn't see this coming, but he did. After twenty-eight of war with an alien Conclave obviously people will be outraged when they signed a treaty of military cooperation so quickly after meeting new aliens. Not to mention the Hierarchy's attack on Shanxi.

"Mrs. Speaker," he said curtly and titled his head. "Do you think this will affect the presidential race?" He knew the answer but wanted her to say it.

She hardened her gaze on him for a moment but then eased it and signed. "Personally I will announce that I'm dropping out later today. It should ease some of the pressure and heated feelings."

Hessen kept himself from smiling. That eliminated one of the four candidates.

"Senator Fleming supported the pact too, did she not?" Udina said.

"Yes. Since we announced the treaty her popularity has dropped from sixty to forty-four, and it's still falling."

Udina sipped from the brandy in his glass. "We can probably count her out of the race."

Hessen agreed.

"Unfortunately," the Speaker agreed regretfully.

Neither Hessen nor Udina wanted to see the Speaker or Amanda Fleming as the first President for countless decades. It had been ages since the people was allowed to choose their leader.

"Then the Arbiter Vadam's treaty won't help anyone," Hessen spoke up.

The Speaker raised her eyebrow. "So it's confirmed that?"

Udina nodded. "Yes. The Sword of Sanghelios ambassador signed the treaty yesterday evening. It became public on the Citadel today. Thel Vadam beat us to an important treaty with the Council. The treaty is the beginning of what might be a strong alliance between them."

"What's the specifics of the treaty?" The Speaker inquired.

Udina sipped from his glass again. "Well…firstly the Elites…Sangheili." _Damn it_. "Is giving the Citadel Star charts on all regions of space they have, which might include UNSC territory. We don't know the specifics of it. They also gave them information on all species in the former Covenant and some info on the factions in the ongoing Civil War. And the best till last. Shield technology." He glanced at Hessen. "At least they kept their plasma weaponry away from them. That's something."

"And…what did they get?" The Speaker asked worriedly. This was really bad. The UNSC needed to be the Citadel's friend, but Vadam was beating them to it and making them obsolete."

"The Citadel is providing the Sword of Sanghelios with information on all species in Citadel space and outside, star charts and throw it a mutual defense treaty. I looked around quietly and discovered that two Turian Divisions will be transported to Sanghelios to help Vadam to secure the entire planet for his faction."

The Speaker rubbed her forehead and groaned. They were about to get kicked out of the political game. They had to do something fats to appease the people and keep their relation with the Citadel Council standing.

"I'll have to bring this to the assembly's attention. Good day gentlemen." She ended the call.

Udina looked at Hessen and emptied his glass. "What you think about the race now?"

"Hmm. Fleming's out. Admiral Waller spoke out against the pact. Redfield hasn't. She was indisposed since the vote," he said plainly.

"True. She was smart. She was indisposed during the vote in the assembly and has been so far. She hasn't managed to give an opinion for or against the pact. Quite clever really. Now she can come out and speak against it. She waited for the people's reaction," Udina said. "She has a good chance of being our President I think."

Hessen snorted. "Hell no! Admiral Waller is who we need."

Udina furrowed his eyebrows. "Waller's a military man through-and-through. People want a civilian hand. Half of them anyway. Francisca Redfield is a Senator, formerly a marine for four years until she was wounded in action. She served humanity and was permanently scarred for it. That earns her votes from men and women wounded in battle and ground pounders. A lot of people will see that she has experience in government positions. She has been Treachery Secretary previously since she was wounded in -52." He paused and raised his finger when Hessen was about to talk. "Yes, Waller has spent his life in the military and is a strongman, something a lot of people want. Someone that's hard on any aliens threatening us. But he's been an officer all his life. He's never pounded the dirt with the boys. Redfield was a Major when she was forced out of the Corps. Wounded fighting on the front lines."

He paused again. "Some brandy?"

Hessen shook his head. "Francis is what we need."

"He has no experience of of government at all. Redfield is young, a plus for her, and she can balance politics with military might." He refilled his glass and sipped from it. "Ah. Perfect."

"Having someone from the military in charge worked for three decades," Hessen pointed out to his old friend.

Udina strolled over to put the Serrice Ice Brandy bottle back in his liquor cabinet. He then walked back to empty his glass.

"Yes, because it was necessary Ronald. It was a necessary evil so to speak." He shrugged. "It was a tough decision for sure, and in a century or two people might look back at it with distain, but…" he raised a finger and casually paced around his desk and over to the window. "…it secured mankind's survival. But circumstances has changed. The UEG is back in power and Hood and his folk are stepping back into the position the military should have."

"Waller may not have fought on the front lines," Hessen conceded with a stern voice. "But he's a strategic genius."

"Who wants to end his career by assuming the most important office open for him," the tan skin ambassador cut in with a simple tone. "He is seventy-two, probably knows he'll never join the ranks of the Security Council."

Hessen grumbled something.

"Fleet Admiral Hood was never too fond of him and the current liaison from the navy is in his, what…fifties? Sixties? Young enough to outlast Waller."

Hessen joined him and looked out the window.

"He's a strategic genius, Donnel. He planned countless operations successfully. He's been fighting since the war began. Before even."

"What if he drops dead in midst of his presidency?" Udina questioned honestly. "He's already had a heart attack. Last month. Now look at Redfield. Young, experienced in government and knows how it is to be on the ground. Knows how back it can get so she'll empathize with the military and never intentionally do anything to put them in a bad position."

"Let's not go over her pros again," the Brigadier General requested. "My position won't change, even though I admit, she's not a bad candidate. Assembly has shown the civvies can't handle governance in any real form." He ended with a loud snort.

Udina shook his head.

Hessen pulled a cigarettes out of his dark green uniform jackets inner pocket. A silver lighter followed as he put the cigarette in between his lips.

"Well not in my officer man!" Udina scowled.

Hessen chuckled amused.

"Go outside into the lovely Presidium or to your fancy apartment."

Hessen nodded slightly and started moving towards the door.

"Say one thing about this xeno place," he looked over his shoulder at Udina. "It's the best damn apartment I've ever lived in. all the niceties. Could be because I'm a part of the ambassadorial detail, but hell."

He disappeared out the door.

Udina's Asari secretary popped her head inside. "Excuse me Ambassador, but Ambassador Vaelor Dazu is here to see you."

"Thank you Melia. You can send him in. Ronald and I finished early."

"Yes Ambassador."

 **26** **th** **July 2554**

 **Krogan DMZ, Aralakh system, Tuchanka**

 **CSO class Super Carrier** _ **Concord of Justice**_ **, bridge**

Kaaldrumee was grinning widely. The information they recovered on Gadd about the Mass Relays had been extremely helpful and the Concord of Justice had just made a successful trip through a Relay. It had actually been a lot easier then he thought. He'd assumed they needed extra technology but basically all they needed was to transmit the mass of their ships to the Mass Relay before traveling through.

Revazum was equally less impressed and appeared as stoic as usual. He kept his mind on the strategic importance of their reasoning to be here.

"From what I've heard about the Krogan, they almost match us in strength, although, they are extremely savage," he said flatly.

Kaaldrumee turned his head to him.

"They aren't exactly a mayor power in this part of the galaxy. This will give us no influence with the Citadel species," Revazum continued.

"We burned our bridges with the Turians, remember?" Kaaldrumee reminded him. "Our tiny Intel on the Salarians make them sound like weak scientists. We don't have enough Intel about the Asari and know nothing about any other races. This is our best option." He turned to one of the crewmen. "How long until we reach Tuchanka's orbit?"

"Ten minutes Arbiter," the Unggoy crewman responded.

Kaaldrumee looked back at his friend.

"Since a diplomatic advantage is impossible at this point so we will satisfy ourselves for military might." He began walking towards the door. "The Krogan are supposed to be the greatest warriors in the galaxy."

"Until they discovered us," Revazum snorted.

"Precisely," the Arbiter agreed. "I presume you gathered an escort?"

"Off course I did," Revazum scoffed. "Thirty of our best Sangheili warriors. But I disagree with your orders not to allow a larger task force if something goes wrong."

They walked down a corridor towards a lift. Kaaldrumee had his hands behind his strong back and walked beside his friend.

"We don't want to appear to threatening at this point," he explained, again. "A Battalion on standby will suffice. We are here to negotiate. Nothing more."

"These aliens might not agree. If they attack-"

"Stop arguing!" Kaaldrumee snapped. "You said it yourself. They are lesser warriors then us. They won't stand a chance if they do betray our intentions."

The trip planetside wasn't long. The Phantom they made the transit in soon touched down outside an ancient ruin. The Sangheili wasn't too impressed by the arid ruined landscape that made up the Krogan homeworld. Stepping outside the Phantom Kaaldrumee and Revazum-and their escort-was met with ten Krogan, all armed to the teeth by the looks of it. They gave the red armored warriors a good look before stepping up to speak with their leader. It was a male calling himself Urdnot Wreav. He told them he was going to take them to a Warlord by the name Urdnot Wrex. Kaaldrumee left ten of his brave men behind to guard the Phantom and let the remaining twenty follow him. They walked through the ruins for a few minutes before they entered what looked to have been turned into a fortification. Eventually they reached a chamber with a thick stone table in the middle of it.

A lone Krogan faced them and Wreav shortly joined him.

Kaaldrumee had picked Clan Urdnot because of their rising status and how they were turning around the centuries old power struggle that had been going on for thousands of years. From what Kaaldrumee knew, This Warlord, Wrex was mostly responsible for the recent string of successful battles and alliances. With the right motivation Kaaldrumee was certain he could turn the Krogan into his fighters. The definitely looked like strong warriors. No doubt about it.

"I'm Wrex, Warlord and leader of Clan Urdnot," Wrex introduced himself.

Kaaldrumee bowed his head slightly.

"I am Arbiter Del Kaaldrumee, leader of the Enclave. This…" he gestured to Revazum. "…is my loyal second, General Orn Revazum. I appreciate that you agree to meet with us."

"So…" Wrex started off. "You're one of the new aliens, huh." It was a flat and unimpressed tone.

"That is correct," Kaaldrumee replied politely and stood tall across the stone table from him. "My species are the Sangheili, a species of warriors such as yourselves." He decided to begin with a comparison of how similar their races were. It seemed a good place to start off things.

Although he saw very few similarities. The Krogan was more like the savage Jiralhanae then his proud people. When the Covenant found the Jiralhanae they had recently recovered after bombing themselves back to a pre-industrial society. The Krogan had apparently ones been a relatively advanced people before they bombed themselves onto the verge of oblivion. They looked just as savage as the Jiralhanae.

"Clearly," Wrex said, not impressed as he eyed the armored aliens standing on Urdnot soil. "You almost look as tough as a Krogan."

Wreav grinned predatory-like. It was an invitation to do something rash and aggressive. The Sangheili barely took mention of it.

Wrex laid down his heavy arms on the table.

"What do you want to meet with us for?" He asked straight to the point.

"I believe we have much in common," Kaaldrumee explained. "We are both a race and culture of warriors. Your people are the fiercest warriors on this side of the galaxy. My people are the fiercest warriors in our little modest corner of the galaxy. For thousands of years we were the military might of the Covenant. A now dead superpower."

Wreav shifted and scoffed amused. "You couldn't have been very good at your job if is **used** to be a superpower."

He then laughed.

Revazum shifted in feet, upset by the rude and insulting remark. Wrex didn't seem to pay attention to his Clan brother's insult, or he just used him to agitate them to learn something more about them.

Kaaldrumee simply raised his hand. "The reasons for the Covenant's fall is complicated and too pointless for us to speak of at this point."

"Sure," Wrex shrugged.

Kaaldrumee clicked his mandibles gently.

"Warlord, since you so elegantly asked to get to the point, I'll comply. You see, I am here to offer a trade."

He decided to give it to the Krogan straight up.

"Trade what, exactly?" Wrex asked, leaning forward lightly. His interest was now peeked.

"I wish to trade technology against manpower and permanent support for as long as we supply you with our technology."

Wrex straightened his back.

"Well," he began. "What kind of technology are we talking, first of all?"

Revazum handed Kaaldrumee a list.

"We plan on giving your Clan Plasma weapons, personal shields that can resist plasma, invisibility cloaks, plasma grenades and vehicles," the Arbiter explained. "As much as you need. My Super Carrier has the ability to manufacture vehicles and weapons. It would give you a great advantage over ever other Warlord or Chieftain on this wasteland."

Wrex raised a finger with a glare.

Wreav seemed to be in awe over all the tech offered. But Wrex knew such advanced technology would have a high price, and simple manpower was too easy. There was always a catch.

"First of all, don't call Tuchanka a wasteland. I mean it is, but it's our wasteland." He then paused. "This is a lot to offer us for Krogan mercenaries. You must really be in trouble." He laughed. "I heard about some war back were you people come from. Your Enclave losing, that it? You're getting your asses kicked so you come here, hoping for Krogan help." He paused. "How much men are you asking for? You know I got my own concerns here. I can't fight anybody with my cool plasma weapons if all my men are off fighting for you."

Kaaldrumee hid his surprised. He didn't think the brute smart enough to put all the pieces together. Clearly he was smarted then he gave him credit for. Maybe he underestimated the whole race? He was right about the trouble. The Enclave was in a lot of it. They were far from former Covenant or even Sangheili space, trying desperately to find an advantage. Recourses, manpower and technology to help them return triumphantly.

"I assure you, I can back up everything I said. We've had a few steps backwards, but unless I'm dead…my soldiers and I will never be defeated. In the end, we will both win on this deal." He shifted gears in mid explanation. "I was hoping for as many mercenaries as I could get. I am certain you have Clans filled with warriors willing to support you for our technology with the simple price of hiring out warriors to me." He leaned forward. "I bet there is a lot of them that would love to spar with a Sangheili. Mine certainly hope to spar with Krogan."

Wrex said in silence for a few moments. "You won't find any trouble finding Krogan willing to fight."

"If we come to an agreement, I hope to leave a delegation of my men here," Kaaldrumee suggested. "They will keep us in contact with each other and teach your warriors to handle our technology. I assure you, only say…thirty men, if you allow it."

Wrex got up and walked over to him. Something told him he might regret this later, but if it came to it, he'd simply deal with it by using their weapons against them.

He offered the Sangheili Arbiter his hand. Kaaldrumee accepted.

"We have a deal. Get your weapons and delegation down here and I will find you some Krogan itching to play mercenary," he promised. "But you shouldn't stay in orbit too long. The slimy Salarians have stealth satellites in the system. It's only a matter of time before they inform the Council and a Turian Task Force is send to investigate."

"Thanks for the warning," Kaaldrumee said and looked to Revazum. "We'll drop off the supplies and leave with our new brave warriors."

Revazum activated his communicator to carry out the directives.

 **26** **th** **July 2174 CE**

 **Inner Council space, Citadel**

 **Presidium Commons**

Abbigail was ecstatic over her active camouflage. It was it had proven incredibly useful over the last three years she had been using it. She had it activated when she jumped off an aircar on top an archway over a hundred meters above all the people shopping, having dinner, watching the gorgeous view of the water below. All so calm. The camo had ones belonged to a Sangheili operative, but now it was hers.

She dropped a duffle back at her feet and took a knee beside it. She opened it and picked out a Focus rifle. It was without a doubt her favorite weapon. Unfortunately it didn't fit for this one.

"Sorry girl," Abigail said in her French accent. "But this isn't your kind of operation."

She put it back down into the bag and brought out an SRS99. Unlike a Focus rifle the UNSC sniper didn't fire a beam that would reveal her position. Getting her weapons and gear on board the large station hadn't been easy. Not for the people who got her on board anyway, but she didn't give much of a damn. If they wanted her to play assassin, they had to get her inside.

She looked down the scope and looked at a family of aliens with three children chasing each other around their parent's legs. She shifted to an amphibian alien handing out a tray of food to some blue skin female shaped aliens. Remembering her briefing, she presumed her an Asari and the other to be a Salarian. The male of the family was Turian and the female an Asari-as was the children. She shifted her scope again and found a law enforcement officer. C-Sec. she appreciated that her employers put so much time into this operation. Not to mention cash, information and recourses.

She found two Turian army officers deep in an argument with an older male. She looked down at her datapad. It was definitely the guy. General Antoniadis. Upstanding member of the Hierarchy, military officer from a long line of Generals and Admirals.

The ex-ONI operative focused on him through her scope.

"Nothing personal little xeno," she mumbled apologetically.

With a cold gaze she squeezed the trigger and sent a high velocity round straight through the Generals heart from her upward angle. It collapsed and people started screaming and running. Chaos quickly broke out.

Abigail put the sniper back in the duffle back and grabbed it. She looked down off the archway's edge and a moment later an aircar halted five meters below. She dropped down with the bag. The Turian driver got back into the traffic. Abigail deactivated her cloak and leaned her head back.

"Nice shot," the male Turian complemented her dryly.

Abigail didn't say anything from behind her silver visor black helmet.

"It'll take C-Sec a while to lock down the area," the Turian said. "I'm going to get you to the dock before that." He looked over his shoulder. "You'll be off the Citadel before they realize what happened."

"I better be," she said in her sweat French accent.

He snorted at her response. They clearly weren't any fans of each other.

She took off her helmet and placed it in her bag. The wind blew through her dark blue long gorgeous hair. Her fair skin was pale with a light purplish tint. For a moment her cold violet eyes stared into the Turian's back.

The Turian's comm chimed and he answered.

"Dammit," he finished.

They slowed down the aircar flew inside a checkpoint belonging to C-Sec.

"What's going on?" Abigail asked and gripped her M6H pistol suspiciously.

"Chance of plans. Don't worry."

He stopped and landed the aircar in a garage. The door behind them closed and Abigail's eyes landed on three Turian C-Sec officers. All were armed with Argus assault rifles. Two of them had yellow markings on their faces. The driver turned to look back at her when the three males walked up to them.

She was ready to activate her cloak and start shooting. She had a few Plasma grenades ready if necessary to draw upon.

"C-Sec reacted faster than expected," the driver told her.

"This checkpoint won't be this empty for long," one of the officers said quickly. He addressed the driver. "We need to get this going fast."

Abigail relaxed. Corrupt officers. Either that or they worked for her employers and fully supported the group. It didn't matter though. She jumped out of the car with her back. One of them handed her a long dark brown coat. She put it on and it buttoned it. It hid her armor made her less suspicious looking.

"Follow us," one of them-apparently a female by the voice-told her coolly.

"Lead the way," Abigail said.

They led her through a short corridor and through a room with consoles and then out through a door. She stood on a dock with a window looking outside into space.

The three Turians piled off and let her continue on her own. She walked through the civilians and spotted another Turian in a black coat. He had already spotted her and followed her with his eyes.

"Sevchenko?" He asked.

She nodded subtly.

He nodded left and started walking. "Follow me. Your transport is over here. C-Sec is gonna lock down the docks soon. Assassination of a General won't be taken lying down. Within a minute she was sitting in a transport leaving the Citadel behind. The manifest was putting this transport on a course to Palaven, but she was going to change after leaving the system. She'd jump through a relay and then change ship and jump to another system. After lying low for a few days she would meet her employers to get her justified due.

* * *

This had been one hell of a day for Garrus. It had started out as any regular boring day at C-S-Sec, but it turned into a life changing experience. When he had been called to the Council he assumed he was in mayor trouble. When he woke up this morning he had never expected a promotion of this magnitude. He had bene offered a position as a Council Spectre. Him of all people. He had more than ones been called out for being too unorthodox in his style. The Council claimed his unorthodox techniques had helped pointing him out for them.

They informed him about a Salarian Stealth Frigate that would be put under his command. With a crew and all. His understanding was that it could hide its heat emissions to avoid being visible on sensors, but it couldn't cloak entirely. If someone looked out a viewport they would see them.

It felt damn sudden for him. Although he assumed they had been considering it for a while. He'd been thrown a case almost on the spot. General Antoniadis had been murdered in the Presidium commons and the assassin was still at large somewhere on the Citadel.

He hadn't even had time to hand in his armor yet. He still wore his C-Sec gear when he came across the scene of the assassination. There wasn't a civilian in sight. Officers had locked down the entire area, with a few Turian military officers inside. They were giving their witness testimonies.

"Vakarian," Seyho said surprised. "I didn't think you were assigned to this case."

The Salarian officer was surprised to see him at the scene.

"Yeah, sorry to butt in, Seyho," Garrus said as he stopped in front of him and looked at the General's body. "I'm not with C-Sec anymore."

Seyho's confusion just rose. "What?"

"Spectres," Garrus said. He felt awkward about the whole thing happening now. He brought up his Omni-tool.

Saying that the Salarian was surprised was an understatement.

"Well damn Garrus. I don't know what to say…you? Really?"

Garrus ignored the statement and nudged to the dead body.

"Tell me about him? Where'd they shoot from?"

Seyho walked over to the body with Garrus following. He nodded towards a pair of Turian army officers.

"He was following those two to lunch when he took a round to the heart. A precise killing shot. Whoever shot him he was good." Seyho turned around and looked up. "Shot came from up there. Possibly an aircar or the archway above."

Garrus whistled. "Gotta be a damn good shot to hit someone in a traveling vehicle. Killing Antoniadis was clearly not an accident. Someone waited. This was a damn good shot, an expert. And expert assassins have exist strategies." He rubbed his chin.

"You think the killers left the Citadel already?" Seyho followed his thinking. "My men are looking through surveillance cameras around here in hopes of getting a few of the shooter."

Garrus looked out over the empty restaurant. "Nobody else saw anything?"

"Most people were halfway to Zakara Ward before his body hit the floor," the Salarian officer informed him.

"You'll let me know first if your guys find something on the footage."

"Off course."

Garrus looked at the Turians lifeless corpse for a moment. His steel colored eyes was still open and his mouth was half open. A medical examiner was putting his final touch on the scene and ordered his assistants to bag the general to take him away.

 **26** **th** **July 2554**

 **Unfaithful system**

 **Fleet of Enlightenment, Covenant of the Hand**

The fleet had entered the system on the edge twenty minutes before and now approached the star and the strange structure orbiting it. There was no planets of any kind in the system or even asteroids. Only the massive structure above the star.

The fleet was commanded from the flagship, a CAS Assault Carrier followed by two DDS Carriers a dozen heavy and light Cruisers and a fleet fleet of Destroyers, Frigates and Corvettes in formation around the Carriers in the center.

Initial sensors had established the structure at ninety-two kilometers in height and twenty-five kilometers in diameter. It had been discovered originally a week ago by a Squadron of Corvettes scouting out the system. Initial scans had determined that it was no Forerunner technology.

On the bridge of the Assault Carrier Field Marshal Amon Zumabaee watched the holo-projectors image of the massive structure. He viewed it with curiosity and suspicion. When he first heard of it he told his older brother that Roshaka that this was a pointless excursion. But now he wasn't so sure anymore. He was intrigued by the ancient space structure. During his journey here he had been told that their younger brother Ursa Zumaba had been killed over the human world of Rio and his forces had been demolished completely. Dying in battle was the best way for his brother to go. In a glorious battle for the betterment of civilization.

Sangheili was at average between two and two and a half meters in height. Amon himself stood tall at 3.4 meters, making him a giant among his own people.

He clicked his dark grey skin mandibles.

"Can you detect anything at all?" He asked a Jiralhanae.

The Jiralhanae turned to him. "Nothing, Field Marshal," he answered dutifully. "No life signs and the structure still emit low energy readings. Nothing new yet. No signs of any defense systems."

So the station appeared abandoned, but still functional. Since it had been built orbiting a star it wasn't too farfetched to presume it drew power from it. But its purpose, that was another question. Why did it need to draw power from a star? Amon had a sneaking suspicion that this venture might carry fruit.

"We are five-thousand meters from the station Field Marshal," a Sangheili told him.

"I want a Battalion ready to board the station," Amon commanded with his deep voice.

"Yes-yes Field Marshal!" A little Unggoy exclaimed loyally.

Amon sat in silence as a Corvette docked with the station. They would dispatch troops to take command over the hangar and allow them to send in more troops. This was what Amon disliked about his high rank. The wait. He couldn't just lead troops into battle on the frontlines anymore. There was a lot of waiting while lower ranking soldiers carried out his commands to the best of their abilities.

"Send a message to my brother," Amon ordered. "Inform him we have entered the structure and will communicate further with him once we discovered more."

With every word he commanded great authority.

"Understood Field Marshal."

Amon waited for fifteen minutes until the massive stations hangars opened, allowing them to land Phantoms inside. And that was only a small hangar. They had located hangars that appeared to be able to hold entire Battlecruisers and Super Carriers. With the amount of docks on the station it suggested to Amon that the structure was either a massive military installation or a shipyard of a kind where someone used the star to power up this massive forge.

"Order the Ultra commanding the Battalion to establish an HQ," Amon commanded. He waved in the general direction of the Shipmaster nearby. "And prepare to transport an entire Legion on board. I want this station under my control. I have a feeling it could prove valuable to the Covenant of the Hand."


	14. Chapter 14 Covenant of the Hand

Halo New galaxy Ch14 Covenant of the Hand

 **26** **th** **July 2554**

 **Unfaithful system**

 **Starforge**

The giant of a Sangheili, Amon Zumabaee walked off the Phantom with four Sangheili soldiers at his back. They wore the blue regular armor utilized by the old Covenant. Amon himself wore dark grey armor. It didn't cover his whole body, like the old Covenant armor. It was marked with the white hand of the Covenant of the Hand on his chestplate.

Eighteen other Phantoms was in the hangar. A few was landing and a few taking off. They had been transporting over troops and equipment for the last three hours. A general area of three km had been secured and with more troops arriving they would be able to secure the structure much faster. Now Amon himself had decided to go on board. He knew it would take a long time to secure the whole structure even with entire Legion. Then they had to keep it secured afterwards. If it turned out to be as important as he was starting to believe they had to protect it from any attack in the future. That meant securing the station and deploying tens of thousands of men with equipment here and a fleet large enough to maintain superiority around it.

The clean white walls was further proof to Amon that this structure was not created by the Forerunners. The architecture was unlike anything he had ever seen before. He pondered how old it was. It could have been here for tens of thousands of years-even hundreds of thousands-without being discovered. It was far enough from known space to have remained undiscovered by the Covenant-had it not fallen-since there was many desolate worlds between them. If his brother Roshaka had not ordered scouting parties to explore new systems in a search for long term resources in the war they would have never come across it. It appeared the bet was paying off.

He walked out of the hangar and met up with an Officer that showed him to a minor control room. It was six meters in diameter with a dozen terminals. They definitely weren't of Forerunner design, which strengthened what he was already certain of. The light colored terminals that was active had red holographic monitors attached. Two of them was online and was being investigated by Sangheili technicians. A Kig-yar was keying a holopad and scanning one of the terminals.

"Field Marshal," the Sangheili Major actively in command said. "There has been no detection of life or any automatic defenses so far. Several small control rooms have been found by nothing resembling the main CNC of the structure."

Amon nodded slowly.

"The command center will likely be at the heart of the installation," he mused aloud. "Have you decrypted the system?"

"No Field Marshal. The technicians will need time."

"I want to know the purpose of this structure as soon as possible," Amon iterated.

With an uncountable number what appeared to be hangars, its pure size and that it appeared to draw power from the local star left few options available. The sooner they could unlock the terminals, the sooner they could start utilizing its power.

The Major responded to a hail through his comm.

"Understood," he said and turned to Amon. "The Huragok is in the hangar now."

"Excellent." Amon clapped his hands together behind his back. "It won't take them long to decipher the alien system. I want them escorted here immediately."

The Major nodded obediently.

Amon stepped back into the corridor and looked down towards the hangar. Escorted by a Kig-yar the Huragok floated into the corridor and towards the small control room. He knew it wouldn't take long for the floating bags to put the structure under his control. He presumed they did, however, needed to locate the main command center to gain full control, but at least now he would gain an understanding of the structures purpose and gain control of the systems linked to the control room's terminals.

A Kig-yar Major led a Lance of Unggoy passed him and his guards.

As the Huragok floated into the control room the Major came out to Amon.

"Field Marshal, excuse me," he said. "A Zealot five levels above has reported that he has lost contact with two Lances under his command."

"Lost contact?" Amon said with a frown.

"Yes Field Marshal. Unggoy under Kig-yar leadership. He sent a Lance of Sangheili to investigate, but they are not answering either now."

Amon raised his head and looked up at the white ceiling.

"I want all forces to halt until more troops are on board," Amon ordered. "Send a message to my fleet to start docking in docks under our control. It will increase the speed of our troop deployment." _No unnecessary risks. We move in force._

"Immediately Field Marshal."

In truth it didn't take long for the Huragok to gain access to the computer system. They reconfigured it to give the technicians easier access. Unfortunately the terminals didn't contain much information. They were simply local terminals controlling the hangars and nothing more.

Four the coming four hours Amon brought a mass of troops and equipment on board. They began expanding their control zone and created fortified checkpoints in corridors and junctions. Another eight Lances of men disappeared during that time, the majority of them in the same sector as before. To the great Field Marshal it seemed that someone or something did not want them to go deeper in that direction. Stubborn as he was he sent Platoon sized units to search and eliminate any threats.

A holographic map table had been brought in and set up for Amon and his officer's use. While overlooking it his mind drifted to the military campaign that was set into motion in a few hours. The Covenant of the Hand had organized their fleets into larger battlegroups and now they were poised to strike with lightning speed at colonies belonging to the Sword of Sanghelios. They would even engage Arbiter Vadam's fleet over Sanghelios. The idea wasn't too conquer any territory, just to overwhelm and knock out one of their main opponents. The battlegroups would strike quick and withdraw before a response could be mustered.

Roshaka was molding the Hand into a position where they could fight and win a prolonged conflict. The current Civil War that had shattered the Separatists was looking like it had the potential to become a long and drawn-out war. If they could push the Sword of Sanghelios off their feet they could prevent them to gaining the upper hand back on the Sangheili homeworld and ensure that the fighting continues in a stalemate.

Amon didn't know about the treaty signed between the Sword of Sanghelios and the Citadel Council. With Council support soon to head to Sanghelios to assist Vadam's ground forces in putting the Sangheili homeworld under his grasp. If it appeared to have a profitable future it was possible for continued military support, more troops and supplies. Since the Council had put their cards on the table and bet on one specific faction they had to ensure that they didn't perish.


	15. Chapter 15 Success and Failure

Halo New galaxy Ch15 Success and Failure

 **27** **th** **July 2174 CE**

 **Inner Council space, Citadel**

 **Presidium, Human embassy**

Udina was dressed in a fancy white suite with matching suit pants. The suit had a golden emblem on the right side of the upper chest, dark grey lines along the edges and a small collar. He was going through his liquor cabinet to find a fitting drink to offer the alien soon to sit across his oak desk. He had switched out his former desk earlier this morning with a strong and firm oak one that had been transported from Earth by the Light Cruiser _UNSC Nebraska_.

The _Nebraska_ had just arrived using the Mass Relay, becoming the first known successful UNSC ship to do so. Off course it had been a slight shock for the Citadel Council to figure out the humans had figured it out on their own and didn't need their assistance in treaties. They didn't need to give up anything or make any concessions. The Council weren't the only ones surprised however. The Assembly and Security Committee had both been surprised and frustrated when ONI Director Albert Forsberg came out and informed them that ONI-thanks to some unknown means-had discovered and tested the use of Mass Relays. If they had mentioned it during negotiations weeks earlier it would have been very helpful and the Assembly could have avoided the headache from the public outrage over the pact promising mutual assistance. Udina had been astonished to discover that Mass Relay travel was not nearly as complicated as the Council led them to believe, without a doubt to achieve their own goals.

Udina picked out a pretty bottle of Asari Honey mead but paused in mid-motion. Maybe he should offer a simple wine from Earth. He had a few French bottles. Something the Salarian University Professor hadn't tested before. Think it a better idea he put the Honey Mead back and took out a dark green glass bottle of French wine.

It had taken Professor Ohall Hamin over a month to get mutual clearance from both Citadel and UNSC information about what was commonly referred to as the Relay 314 Incident. Nothing classified was to be given out by Udina, just a share of information for historical purposes. It would have been easy to just send a message to the Professor and have it done with but Udina was more of a people person and agreed to meet in person when Hamin requested it.

" _Excuse me Ambassador,"_ his Asari assistant said through the intercom. _"Professor Hamin is here to see you."_

"Thank you Melia, send him in," Udina said.

The light green skin Salarian stepped inside his office. He had a medium high, for a Salarian with large circular eyes. He wore a dark brown coat with a light blue buttoned shirt underneath. His pants was black with white stripes.

"Good afternoon Ambassador," he greeted politely with a comfortable smile.

Udina was already heading over to shake his hand.

"Welcome to the human embassy Professor," he returned and shook the Salarians hand. "Please, have a seat."

"Certainly."

They sat down on opposite sides of the desk.

"A glass of wine perhaps?" Udina offered. "From Earth. European continent, former nation state of France."

"Off course. I am always happy to try a new brew," Professor Hamin said delightful.

Udina poured him a glass and then one for himself.

"Well than, Professor…" he leaned back in his chair. "…by government was more than a little suspicious about your request. They found it…unusual. As did I, actually."

Hamin nodded and continued smiling.

"I understand. And, I am grateful that your people agreed."

Udina nodded slightly.

"Where would you like to begin Professor?"

"I'd say we start with everything we both already know," Hamin suggested. Udina nodded. The Salarian looked down at his Omni-tool. "At the 22nd of February of 2154 of your military calendar and 2174 of our calendar a small force on UNSC starships discovered and investigated your first Mass Relay."

So far it fit, Udina thought. Part of his assumed the story would go in the advantage of the Turians since they were a Council race. But Hamin seemed a decent fellow who might put a neutral spin on things. History is written by the victors they say, and although technically nobody won, the UNSC and Council knew the UNSC kicked the Turians steel colored butts.

"Four UNSC starships-Corvette classification-was attacked by a Turian patrol of ten Frigates and two Cruisers," Professor Hamin continued to iterate the official record. "The Patrols Cos rash actions led him to attack immediately upon discovering your starships messing with the Relay-witch was against Citadel laws, something your people obviously could not have known about. In the battle three Turian Frigates was destroyed and one UNSC Corvette. It led to your ships retreating to friendly territory, the colony world you named Shanxi."

He paused and sipped from the wine.

"Ah. Delicious. Simply delicious. Your people know wine Ambassador."

Udina nodded with a smile. "We're good at many things that might surprise you Professor."

The Professor returned to going over the next events.

"The Turian Patrol fleet followed and eventually attacked Shanxi's orbiting small fleet. Thanks to your peoples superiority in armaments you held out for days, despite being outnumbered as both fleets circled around each other like Varren's around a strong but wounded prey. Thanks to their higher maneuverability the Turians had their own advantage, but realized they needed overwhelming numbers to prevail." He sipped from his wine slightly and took a breath of fresh air. "Eventually reinforcements arrived and the Turians gained in the arena of space. For the moment."

"An accurate representation of events," Udina agreed.

He sipped from his own glass.

"Thank you, I try." He cleared his throat. "The colony came under Turian control after a short ground campaign. Several UNSC units turned to guerilla warfare and disappeared into the terrain. For months both sides pushed at each other until the 1st of April when UNSC reinforcements arrived in form of a fleet of over sixty starships, including your giants. A demolished Turian fleet withdrew and an outnumbered and outgunned ground task force capitulated on the 3rd."

Udina appreciated how this document Professor Hamin was writing wasn't one-sided. It pointed out that the Turians had been the aggressors and sited general facts from both sides. He doubted a Turian professor would have written in from a neutral perspective.

He put his hands together on his stomach.

"On the 3rd an official Citadel diplomatic envoy arrived also arrived and a peace treaty started taking form." He straightened his back. "Now, this is the overall events that transpired. The final document will be more detailed off course. What I miss now is the UNSCs official losses."

Udina picked up a datapad from his desk.

"Right here. Where do you want to start?"

"With the obvious bit," Hamin said. "Losses in starships. An overwhelming number was Turian, but a few UNSC joined the unfortunate mix. Your majestic and giant ships took out their toll on the Turians in the end. A total of thirty-nine Turian ships was lost between February and April."

Udina kept himself from whistling. He knew it was high but he didn't know it was that high. That wasn't even close to their losses. While many ships had been damaged only a very few had been destroyed.

"The UNSC navy lost five ships."

Hamin noted it in his Omni-tool.

"Casualties then," he said in a plain voice. "Including the crews of the starships lost, the Turian Task Force suffered twenty-three thousand three-hundred and fourteen fatalities and seventeen thousand nine-hundred and two wounded. My estimates put the UNSC bellow on both accounts."

"Correct," Udina confirmed. He shook his head at the relatively high casualties. It was nothing compared to the Human-Covenant war though. "Nine thousand six-hundred and forty fatalities with fifteen thousand and four-hundred and three wounded."

Hamin noted the numbers.

"How did the colonists fair during the short occupation?"

"Well. Not as bad as expected," Udina explained. "It was the first time a human world had been invaded and the local's population hadn't been wiped out. So all in all, it wasn't too bad. Everyone first expected to die when an alien fleet started deploying troops."

"Your war with the Covenant, yes," Hamin remembered reading about it. "Terrible business that."

"You have no idea," Udina said firmly.

* * *

Garrus strolled in through the entrance to Everlasting Night. He had changed from his C-Sec armor. He wore a silver colored armor with dark red markings. He missed the old armor but the new was more comfortable.

The bar was half filled with people which was a regular number before the weekend hit home and everyone started coming off work. The establishment owner Ren Plik was casually chitchatting with a pair of Asari. After joking about something he returned to his usual position behind the bar.

"Ah, Mr Vakarian!" He called the Turian over.

"Hi Ren, looks like calm before the storm around here," Garrus said. He leaned in against the bar and pulled out a stool.

"Pretty much," Ren said, his voice lowering and glanced off towards the far corner of the establishment. He nodded carefully in that direction.

Garrus looked and spotted a certain Turian sitting at a table with an Asari woman. He wore a comfy-looking yellow and blue suit while she wore a purple long dress with a careful amount of makeup. She was sitting next to him and gently hung over his shoulders. He was conversing with a human across the table. They weren't alone though. Five Turians acting bodyguards was sitting at two nearby tables.

"Mar," Garrus grumbled. "Why's he here?"

"Don't know," Ren whispered. "Came in about an hour ago, the human he's with showed up say, twenty minutes later. They ordered some food and drinks. Couldn't deny the human without looking like a racist and Mar hasn't broken any laws so I can't throw him out."

"Correction, it hasn't been proven he's broken any laws, yet." He groaned slightly and paused. "Strange location to meet someone in. Make sense if he thought it'd be trouble. Meet in C-Sec's favorite bar so to keep some law enforcement officers close at hand."

Garrus turned his head back to Ren.

He assumed the human was here as a member of the diplomatic envoy, since there were no civilian transports between Council and UNSC space he would have a hard time getting here otherwise. Normally he would have check him up personally but he wasn't with C-Sec anymore and the others present had probably already had the idea.

"Enough of Mar now, yes?" Ren suggested in a happy voice. "What can I get you? Turian Brandy?"

"Sounds good. But just a glass. Not here for pleasure today. Meeting a guy."

"If you say so." Ren got out a bottle and poured a glass. "OH. Congratulations to become a Spectre, by the way."

"Hmm. Thanks."

Ren leaned over the bar.

"You don't sound too thrilled. You'd have jumped at the chance to become a Spectre not long ago," he noted.

Garrus sighed and sipped from his drink.

"Yeah. It just new right now. Shock still kickin' in."

"I suppose I wouldn't know," the Salarian shrugged. "Just a bartender, lil' old me."

Garrus drank from his glass and waited. He was waiting to meet with a Sergeant that he had asked to join his team. He had received a ton of different information on people to build a team from. His first addition was a Turian marine by the name Saren Arterius. He was a Sergeant with a distinguished record of service. The most recent part of interest in his file-to Garrus-was that he partook in the occupation Shanxi. Apparently he had been there from start to finish. He became a POW after the ground commander was forced to surrender and was exchanged along with the rest of the POWs on both sides.

Saren wore a dark and light green camouflaged armor as he entered Everlasting Night. He had arrived on the Citadel three hours ago and managed to get some sleep before meeting the Spectre. That was fine since he slept on the transport. He knew why he was here and what his purpose was. He didn't know the mission the Spectre was embarking on but any mission given to a Spectre was bound to be important. He was ready to do whatever was needed to complete the mission ahead and this was the first time he had ever worked with a Spectre.

He located Spectre Vakarian at the bar. He cleared his throat and stepped over. When he met the man's gaze he snapped off a salute.

"Sergeant Saren Arterius, sir," he introduced himself.

Garrus got up and offered his hand.

"At ease Sergeant," he told him. "This is unofficial anyways. Hitting to birds with one stone and that." He gestured to the drink and waved Ren over. "What's your poison Sergeant?"

Saren sat down beside the man he would soon act as second in command to.

"Turian Brandy works," he supposed and looked at the Salarian bartender.

"You got it," Ren confirmed.

 **28** **th** **July 2554**

 **Riga Lillo system, Rio orbit**

 **CCS class Battlecruiser** _ **Warlord's Judgement**_

Vezk's little flotilla had arrived in the Riga Lillo system thirty minutes ago and was on the final approach for Rio. They had watched the battle unfold between a fleet loyal to a Sangheili named Jul Mdama and the UNSC. It had been a third but the last Covenant of the Hand ships had retreated before Vezk arrived according to Sax. He was certain a third navy had been there but clearly wasn't anymore. He claimed the little intelligence they had was certain of it. Anyway now the UNSC and ex-Covie fleets was taking a pause in the fighting.

"Warlord," a Krogan said. "The human fleet is repositioning itself."

"They think we're enemy reinforcements," Vezk assumed.

He did bring six Covenant warships after all, one of them being a Battlecruiser. It was bound to look suspicious at best, at worst as enemy reinforcements. It definitely looked like the humans was assuming them being reinforcements.

"Contact them," Vezk said and chuckled. "Don't want them getting too scared." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"They're responding Warlord. Putting them on screen."

On the screen a human elderly looking woman with wrinkles and blonde hair mixed with grey. She held a stone-face as she stared back at Vezk. If she was surprised to see a Krogan on board the Battlecruiser she didn't show it.

"I am Vice Admiral Hammond, identify yourselves and your purpose in UNSC space," she demanded in a strong voice.

Vezk raised a hand. "Relax little human. We aren't here to fight you." Sax rolled his eyes at the example of Krogan diplomacy. "In fact, it's your lucky day cus I'm here to assist you in your war, for a price."

Hammond remained stoic, not revealing a single emotion.

In the background on the bridge of their own ship Sax grew in irritation and tension. Vezk's ability to negotiate was nonexistent. He didn't inspire trust in any way. Maybe that bravado worked on Tuchanka and in Citadel space but not here.

"No," the stoic admiral said. "You will leave our space or face the consequences."

The channel died, leaving Vezk standing there, blinking in surprise. It brought a careful smirk to Sax's beak.

* * *

I know it took an age and I'm sorry about that guys.


	16. Chapter 16 Professor

Halo New galaxy Ch16 Professor

 **29** **th** **July 2174 CE**

 **Inner Council space, Citadel**

 **Presidium, Everlasting night**

Saren Arterius and Garrus had looked over the evidence of General Antoniadis assassination. They was sitting in a couch with a carved wooden table in front of them. Garrus looked at a list on his Omni-tool.

"This list has every marksman on the Citadel that could have made that shot," he gritted through his teeth. "But we can rule out two thirds of them immediately, they'd never go after a big target like Antoniadis. Three are already in prison, one was being question by S-Sec for another incident in Zakara Ward at the time. Which leaves us with one possibility."

Saren seemed to agree.

"The assassin wasn't from here. He was brought here specifically for it. Someone C-Sec wouldn't have on record."

"A human," Saren stated.

"A likely possibility," Garrus admitted. "It'd make sure the assassin couldn't be recognized." It was still just a theory and it was just as likely a damn skilled Turian assassin that had stayed off anyone's radar. "C-Sec narrowed it down to seven ships that left just before or as the lockdown went into effect. One of them was a Turian starship part of the Citadel's defense fleet, two Salarian science ships, two shuttles bound for Thessia, a civilian transport to a swampy Salarian colony and a transport to Palaven…that never reached its destination." He furrowed his brow as he read the report on his Omni-tool.

"I'd pick the latter sir."

"So would I Sergeant." He glanced at an elderly pair of Turians strolling into the bar. "Security cams didn't catch anything suspicious yet. I'll get Seyho to put his people on looking into this ship and its passengers specifically."

Garrus thought about the next recruit for his team for a mere moment. The two people on his list was a Salarian Professor, former STG, Mordin Solus, and a human mercenary by the name Zaeed Massani. Reports indicated he had worked with Turian units at two different occasions since the Battle of Shanxi. He had also been fighting Turians on Shanxi even though he wasn't a part of the military. Garrus had a feeling it would cause some tensions, especially since Saren had been there too. But if he could keep him in line it wouldn't be a problem. If it was, he'd kick him out. he was meeting them both in a few hours.

 **30** **th** **July 2554**

 **Riga Lillo system, Rio dirtside, Fernando Island Chain, Hawaii**

The battle was going in the UNSC favor and the Storm's only foothold was the two remaining islands in the island chain. Hawaii and Blue Switzerland. On Hawaii Cornfield's, Hendricks and Keegan's Companies battled fiercely with two Armored Companies of marines. The island was eight kilometers and ever piece of it was fiercely defended by the ex-Covie ground forces. Their aerial support had been obliterated. Every remaining fighter was used to halt attempts to reinforce.

Captain Daniella Cornfield ducked behind the cover of a civilian car as a Corporal lobbed a grenade in the doorway four meters ahead. The detonation and jackal scream was their cue to move out. She took point with her MA5D and six troopers flanking her. Lieutenant Everett of 1st Platoon was one of them.

Inside the house they found proof of the hard fighting. There was four bodies in and around the doorway. One they had killed. One was a marine and two jackals. She heard, "Clear," as rooms was checked one by one. On their way up to the third floor they stumbled over fifteen dead ODSTs and two times as many dead aliens. She was worried. Since Keegan wasn't responding to communication attempts it looked like there could only been one reason. On their way she found Lieutenant Darin's body. Keegan's XO.

She was first inside the main room on the third floor.

"House secured," Everett informed her.

"…Copy," Daniella said slowly.

She found Captain Keegan's dead body on the floor. He was surrounded by three other officers, all having been killed fighting back to back. Around them was two dozen elites. Keegan's knife was buried in the chest of one elite just a meter away from him.

Daniella shook her head sadly. "Damn it." What really sucked was that she felt used to comrades and friends dying. She hadn't known Keegan that well, but he was a fellow Helljumper and that was pretty damn close for her. They were like a big family of misfits and professional alien killers. "Everett, we're moving out in a moment. Contacting the Colonel."

"Copy that ma'am." He turned around to the men. "Boomer I want your team downstairs ten seconds ago. Move out!"

"Sir!"

"Colonel Shepard, Cornfield reporting in," the Captain said in her comm.

"Report," Shepard said. His voice was firm with a hint of stress. Giving the gunfire, he was in the midst of a firefight.

"Sir, Keegan's dead," she confirmed.

There was a pause.

" _Understood. Lieutenant Darin will take over."_

They had both suspected that Keegan was dead when his area was overrun an hour ago. The entire block had bene overrun by a Storm rush.

"He's dead too, sir."

Shepard sighed.

" _Cox is next than."_

"She's ready to lead a Company?"

" _She'll have to be."_

Daniella felt bad for Cox. She was a damn good trooper but had trouble being an officer. She wasn't experienced enough to lead a Company in her opinion. Likely, Alpha Company would get a new CO when they're out of this hellish battle.

"Status of your Company?"

"Pushing, sir." She was silent for a moment. "Street by street," she almost gritted through her teeth.

She hated what was happening around her. All around her. Helljumpers was some of the best soldiers in the UNSC, and the Sky Hopper Battalion boys and girl was no exception, but the enemy hadn't sent new recruits to guard the island of Hawaii. They were heavily armed and had time to dig in deep. It was natural for the brass-in her mind-to send in drop troopers to clear it out, but they weren't invincible and out of almost a thousand strong they had lost a lot since landing on Rio. And while the marines had withdrawn more than ones to avoid casualties their troopers didn't have the same option. She felt like cannon fodder and that really soured her mood. She didn't mind the fighting, street by street, house by house. No. When she was a marine, just when she joined up, she was part of a unit specializing on urban fighting.

Sheppard picked up on her mood. "Do I want to hear it?"

"It's nothing just, just tired. We'll have pushed the bastards out of the district by morning. Cornfield out."

She reached the doorway out of the house when the conversation ended. She stepped outside with Everett and other troopers holding a defensive position. She quickly guested for everyone to march down the rubble littered street. There wasn't a whole house in sight and gunfire and screams was heard everywhere. They had been on Rio for just about a month now, plus two days, and this was the heaviest fighting yet for Daniella. The Storm wasn't lying down on this one.

The jogged around the corner to see the ruin of a church with a destroyed graveyard in front of it. There was dozens, probably over a hundred xeno bodies alone, with only sixteen dead. Three troopers and thirteen marines. Inside the few church walls standing came echoes and flashes from familiar projectile weapons. The houses from across the graveyard and then the road was spewing plasma.

Arriving from the right flank of the church it allowed Daniella's group decent cover as they moved up. Inside the church was some of her helljumpers, and a few from Keegan's Company. They fired stationed gun turrets, SAWs and everything they had their hands on.

"Captain!" A Sergeant shouted.

"Everett, defensive positions," Daniella ordered.

Her group spread out to support their comrades while Daniella sat down behind the half collapsed wall with the Sergeant.

"Damn good to see you, sir," the Sergeant panted.

She glanced out at the no man's land between them and the ex-Covies. It was filled with holes from mortar shells.

"How you're holding up Sergeant Campbell?" Daniella asked, point of fact.

"Holding, but not more. Can't advance without a massacre." He nodded out. "Like their attempts. Our barrage combined by pin-pointed mortar strikes from our friends in Captain Keegan's boys back at the square slaughtered the sons of bitches like dogs." He paused before looking straight through Daniella's visor. "Sir, its three hours after hour T. thought the marine tanks would be here by now."

"They got delayed," she said flatly.

He leaned back against the wall. "Shit. Speak freely?"

"Shoot."

"I thought the delay was just an hour."

"It was," she confirmed. There was a hint of resentment in her voice. "The first. Marines didn't have the guts to try again yet. Too much Storm air."

"All due respect," the Sergeant said with a much harsher voice. He wasn't upset with her, but the news he was getting. "Six our ago we flew in under heavy Covie air. Our boys gotta have cleaned that up more sense."

Daniella shifted into a more comfortable sitting. "Was worth the risk getting a foothold, reinforcing it. General Horus got a lot more careful." She didn't need to mention that the armored unit they expected was a marine one, she knew he knew that. Obviously they had some marine support. A few Companies. They came just behind them before the Storm aerial flotilla recovered completely from the first salvo of UNSC fighters and Pelicans. But the main units was sitting back and waiting for an opening, according to command. It wasn't sitting right with Daniella and it wasn't hard to tell.

"With or without support, we'll take back this city," Daniella said firmly.

"Damn right, sir!" The Sergeant agreed.

"Incoming!"

Daniella peeked over the left side of the wall and into the no man's land. She saw a handful of grunts charging in, but carefully. She figured their superiors was ordering them to check out their lines. Three of them went down in seconds when one of the heavy machinegun turrets opened up a barrage. The other two took shelter in a hole left by a mortar strike. One of them peeked up after a moment and got his brains blown out.

Daniella returned to her previous position. She got up and motioned Lieutenant Everett over.

"Sir."

"We're making push through," she told him before getting on the commlink. She contacted both Lieutenants Kendall and Boris. "Lieutenant Boris, Kendall, you read me."

"Ma'am."

"Second…there, I read sir, sorry. Had to finish a brute."

"Understood. I am sending you both my coordinates. Make your way here and flank the enemy. Kendall and you are going to circle around them and assault their rear positions. It will give us breathing room to take the offensive." Hopefully without too high casualties.

"I got two Platoons of marines here with a Corporal as the highest officer," Lieutenant Boris informed her. "With their Company commander dead I've taken temporary charge. Where you want them?"

"How's there numbers?"

"Eleven and twenty-seven."

"Bring them all."

"Great." He said with a professional voice. "Should reach your position in ten to fifteen, depending on the enemy."

 **30** **th** **July 2554**

 **Sol system, Earth, London, ONI Headquarters**

A hologram of a young man in a suit appeared on the holotank next to the older man's desk. The middle aged man looked at the little hologram.

"Excuse me Director," the AI said. "There is a call on your private channel."

The Office of Naval Intelligence Director arched an eyebrow.

"My private channel?" He repeated in a low hard voice.

"Yes Director," the AI confirmed. "I have attempted to trace the transmission but I could not. If I was a betting individual I would bet that it is Mr Harper. It fits with prior communications with him."

Albert Forsberg groaned and straighten up in his comfortable chair.

"Make sure I'm not interrupted," he ordered the AI. He wouldn't take the AI up on that bet since he was betting on the same thing.

"Off course."

As the AI disappeared the director turned his attention to his monitor and activated it. The image he suspected did indeed appear. Jack Harper. Former ONI Junior Director. He had been in charge of operations on Reach before it was glassed. A few months later he went up in smoke. Clearly he had done a lot of work since then.

"Jack," he said with a courteous fake smile.

"Albert," the man replied. "Long time no see."

The man was sitting in a chair with what appeared to be a sun in the background. He was on a space station somewhere. Question was where.

"The conference back in 49. Feels like ages ago." The director shifted in his chair to get more comfortable. "You went by your real name back then. What is it now? The **Illusive Man**?" He chuckled.

"You have your hands on some decent information there," the Illusive Man acknowledged. "But I expected nothing less from the head of ONI."

"It was doomed to happen," the director said plainly. "Since you're recruiting my people into **your** shadowy organization."

The Illusive Man chuckled amused.

"That is an interesting choice of words coming from you. ONI calling somebody else a shadowy organization? Please. You practically coined the term." He lighted a cigarette and placed it between his lips. "I want to start with apologizing for what happened on Mars."

Albert's expression told the Illusive Man everything he wanted to know, which caused him to smile.

"Oh I see," he said smugly. He pointed at him. "You're slipping old friend."

"I'm curious," Albert Forsberg admitted calmly. He glanced at his mug of coffee before gripping in gently.

"I preferred that Senator Redfield's trip to Mars ended without bloodshed. Well, her blood anyway."

"I didn't think you'd go as far as murdering your former comrades," Albert seethed. Harper had apparently touched a nerve. Not for killing him people but interfering in an ONI operation. "You've really turned your back to humanity."

"Please Albert," the Illusive Man tried calming him. He blow out smoke through his lips. "I am the murderer? It was not I, who sent a team to kill one of the three remaining presidential candidates. The most likely of winning, actually. Yet I'm the threat to humanity? Are you worried Redfield will force ONI back in line? Worried about oversight?"

"Don't be so hypocritical, Jack," Albert snorted. "Your, Cerberus have absolutely no oversight at all. Only you. So don't sit there and act the hypocrite. You dropped off the bloody map."

He drank from his hot coffee.

The Illusive Man raised his palm.

"Fair enough Albert. Just know that Cerberus will keep an eye on Redfield to ensure she lives to be President."

"She hasn't won yet."

"Really? Fleming is history and Admiral Waller? He isn't as popular. Redfield's a populist. He's too much establishment." He suddenly smiled smugly again. "Isn't this a bit of an overreach?"

"I don't know what-"

"Waller's on your payroll. That's what I mean," he said firmly. "Nobody wants an ONI puppet as the UNSCs head. He'd get sacked if it came out. Proof and all."

Albert glared at him coolly. He didn't need to ask about evidence, he knew Jack would have it somewhere, hidden away. He was smart enough and had resources enough to figure it out.

"This wasn't the main reason I called though," the Illusive Man explained professionally. "Albert. My agents…interviewed, an ONI intelligence officer on Rio and picked up a trail to a relatively medium ranked officer in the Covenant of the Hand. His capture and interrogation was quite…" he considered his choice of words. "…enlightening."

Albert arched his eyebrows.

"They found an ancient space station in a system they call the Unfaithful system. It is a few lightyears outside of space known to us. An unexplored system."

"Is this station, Forerunner?"

The Illusive Man shrugged. "I do not know. We don't know anything about it. Other than that they are putting a lot of resources into defending the system. And if the aliens think it's that strategically important, it is in our best interests to either eliminate it, or take it for ourselves."

"And…why tell me this?" Albert asked. Since you left, we're not on the same side. That is obvious. You and your…Cerberus-" he spat the latter word out with disgust. "-and a rogue element."

"Please. I want the best for humanity. We have that in common, but sooner or later ONI will be reined in, and then we need an Organization that can do whatever it takes to protect humanity's interest. We shouldn't be enemies, but allies. Take that as you will but see my information as a first step. Good day."

The channel closed, leaving the Director to think about what had been said.


	17. Chapter 17 Quarian hunt

Halo New galaxy Ch17 Quarian hunt

 **31** **st** **July 2174 CE**

 **Inner Council space, Citadel**

 **Presidium, C-Sec HQ**

Saren was glaring at the old human merc leaning against the wall across from him. It didn't help that the merc, Zaeed Massani, was stoically staring back at him. They were waiting for Garrus to speak with Seyho. Apparently he had some information for them, something prudent to the investigation. The group's third members Mordin Solus felt the tension between the two men. Especially from Saren's side. Being a mercenary Zaeed couldn't afford holding a grudge against any of the Citadel races. Not good for business. Saren didn't have any such illusions on his mind.

In Seyho's office Garrus was filled in on an incident.

"A Quarian?" Garrus mirrored a part of what he had heard. "What kind of information did she say she had?"

The Salarian C-Sec officer blinked and sat down on his side of the desk.

"Miss Nar Rayya claimed to have found a battle sight in the Gallo system. Between what appeared to be a UNSC ship and and Turian ship," he explained. "My people sent the specifics on the Turian ship for us to analyze. It came back as an Advent ship."

Garrus's eyes widened is surprise. It turned into a low growl.

"Advent? What's there business with humans, in Council space?"

Advent was a Turian Separatist group that was perceived as traitors by the Turian government. They had been silent for years after a large military operation shut down several bases, destroyed a shipyard and captured several ships and leaders. They had never been able to muster support to threaten the Turian state without support from other species governments.

"Moreover," Seyho said. "The transport you asked us to search for concerning the murder had met with it. Our Quarian friend had the ships logs that showed communications. My people is checking the logs authenticity, to be certain. A ship is on the way to the Gallo system to verify the situation and look it over. Should contact us in a few hours."

"Do the humans know any of this?" Garrus asked.

"No." He paused. "I, there is a problem Garrus." He leaned forward over the desk. "The officer transporting the Quarian was attacked. Officers dead along with two attackers. Both Turians. Tali'Zorah's whereabouts is unknown."

"Damn it," Garrus cursed. "Identity on the Turians? Advent?"

"Yes. We've confirmed it. We're looking for Tali'Zorah in the Zakara Ward but haven't found anything yet."

Garrus wondered what could have made the human ship and the Advent ship attack each other. Had they had a deal? If they had, it must have gone wrong or one of them straight up betrayed the other. He had to admit that if the UNSC was able to turn Advent into a power able to destabilize the Hierarchy it would be a victory for them and remove a potential future threat.

"Give me all the details and we'll find her. Send the evidence up the ladder and let them handle this with the human diplomats," Garrus decided.

Seyho nodded. "You're the Spectre."

Garrus was still getting used to that. The human angle worked into the assassination plot too. A human could get passed security as an unknown and being unrecognized. It didn't even need to be an operative. Someone like Zaeed, a merc, was very likely. Someone that couldn't be connected if caught.

* * *

Udina was honestly confused and stunned when Salarian Ambassador Vaelor and a Council Spectre, Garrus Vakarian, demanded answers to why one of their ships was in Inner Council space and involved in the assassination of a high ranking Turian Hierarchy General. As an ambassador he knew he was often only told what was necessary at the time and if this was true, that was in the latter category.

Garrus remained silent as Ambassador Udina looked over the information handed to him. It was transferred onto a datapad from Ambassador Vaelor's Omni-tool. Garrus hadn't expected to be here but the Council had decided it was prudent since he was in charge of the investigation, assuming it was part of the assassination. Otherwise it would go to another Spectre for an independent investigation. Right now Garrus's little team was out trying to figure out how to find the Quarian. Saren was in charge in his absence. Hopefully he wouldn't go head-to-head with Zaeed.

"This…is without a doubt a human ship," Udina acknowledged patiently. "Gentlemen, I assure you, and the Council that my government would not sanction an assassination. We can peace, not war. Assassinating General Antoniadis would be a step in the other direction, by far." He put on his best genuine smile. Although he had no idea what the ship was doing there or who ordered it, he had a strong suspicion that ONI was involved.

"Udina," Vaelor said professionally. "You understand how your peoples dislike for Turians-for good reasons-would…" he glanced at Garrus. "No offense Spectre Vakarian."

Garrus smiled. "None taken Ambassador," he assured and looked at Udina. "We did sorta invade their planet."

Udina offered his smile in return and Vaelor continued.

"You would understand how it would give your government a motive to distrust Turians and want to perhaps destabilize any operations that does not partake in your interests. While we are not accusing you of murdering a military officer, it is suspicious indeed that your ship had contact with a group hostile to the Citadel Council and the Turian Hierarchy specifically."

"There is nothing suggesting this is a military vessel," Udina claimed. "Smugglers, mercenaries, deserters, a civilian expedition that was attacked."

"Don't play the victim ambassador." Vaelor crossed his arms over his chest. "Not with me. This isn't a media interview. This is an unofficial call as a courteously to you."

"Which I appreciate Vaelor, but my government knows nothing about this." He paused when his secretary's voice came over the commlink.

"Excuse me Ambassador, General Hessen is here. He says he has an appointment but I have nothing noted," she explained.

"Aha, that's alright Melia. Send him in," Udina told her.

"Yes ambassador."

The dark slick door retraced and the short UNSC officer stepped inside. He walked up to join Udina and the two aliens with firm steadfast steps.

"Spectre Vakarian," Udina started introductions. "May I introduce Brigadier General Ronald Hessen, career soldier, marine and attached to out diplomatic envoy as our military representative."

Garrus shook the human's hand. "General."

Hessen nodded and shook back. "Ambassador."

"General, always a pleasure," Vaelor greeted. He had met him several times but never liked him. A typical by-the-book soldier, never thinking outside the box, short sighted and there was a strong hint of xenophobia over him.

"I asked Ronald here since he can verify the ship class and if it was sent here under orders of the Security Committee," Udina explained. The Security Committee was just barely established and was created recently because of the transfer of authority back to civilian hands. The former UNSC head, Fleet Admiral Sir Terrance Hood was the Chairman.

Hessen looked over the ship on the datapad. "Frigate class, but not military," he said simply with his hard voice. "Doesn't resemble any of our classes. Civilian I'd say." Actually his bet was ONI but saying that would suggest humanity didn't have a fully functional chain of command and that ONI didn't report to the UNSC or UEG. "It has some slight resembles to a Paris class Heavy Frigate. But, heavily modified."

"Are you suggesting it was a UNSC ship but was repurposed by someone else, without your knowledge?" Garrus questioned, not buying it.

"Now Mr Vakarian-" Hessen started.

Udina sensed a hint of hostility in his friends tone and raised his hand and took a casual step forward.

"Let us fill you in on important details, Spectre Vakarian," he offered. "The Paris class is old and have been in our navy for several decades, since before the war with the Covenant. Some of our Outer colonies that survived the war have been known to repurpose abandoned and disabled ships. If decades have passed it would explain why it has been heavily modified."

Garrus slowly nodded. It was a reasonable conclusion. But he still had reservations.

"Can I offer any of you a drink?" The human Ambassador asked with a warm smile.

He walked over to his liquor cabinet. Hessen glanced at him with hard eyes. Donnel was getting too comfortable in this xeno station in his opinion. Too comfortable around the xenos and their liquor. As if he was forgetting what xenos did to them, how many they killed.

"Not on duty," Garrus declined.

"Another time," Vaelor answered. "Say, lunch later?"

Udina nodded. "Off course." He remembered his planned lunch with the Salarian. The good think about his job was that when everything was clean and done they could both put their job away and have a civil and friendly conversation. Vaelor understood the ambassadorial role and was a perfect man to converse with on other things not concerning their jobs.

"About the ship;" Hessen said. "When can we tractor it back home?"

"You can't," Garrus said pointedly.

Hessen narrowed his eyes slightly. "I'm sure I misheard you."

"No general. It is a part of a Spectre investigation and it was far inside our borders under unknown circumstances. You said it yourself, it isn't a military ship and therefore not UNSC property. Ship belonging to a smuggler or civilian doesn't fall under military jurisdiction, right?"

A few years ago Hessen could have said yes, but with civilians back in power things was changing. He could claim it had been a UNSC ship before colonists got their hands on it, but that was just a theory. He had been too careful in not being specific a minute ago.

"Very well," Udina stepped in again. "The ship will remain under Citadel jurisdiction until the investigation is finished. My government can agree to that. Believe me, the Assemble will want to know what the ship was doing in your space as much as you."

Vaelor smiled. "I'm think we are in agreement than."

When Garrus and Vaelor had said their good bye's and left Hessen and Udina alone, Udina relaxed in his chair. Hessen looked at him with disapproval for a moment.

"There is something else," he said finally.

"What is it?"

"I'm transferring to Andromeda station in a few days."

Udina was surprised.

"You are? That's sudden."

"UNSC's putting together a military operation in sector A2902 and asked me to lead the Marine Corps in that sector. It's a preparation for future military operations in that sector and those around it. Years of planning is going into this."

"If the President allows it," Udina surmised.

"Election isn't over yet."

"No. but you'll still need to give her your plans and see if she allows you to operate. Military doesn't answer to itself anymore."

There was an audible snort from Hessen.

"I imagine a lot of Assembly resolutions will depend of Redfield when she wins. Increased naval funding, the Anti-Treason Act and breaking or keeping our signed Defense Pact with the Citadel Council. And, since we're jumping subjects here, a group of Sangheili scientists from Vadam faction is coming here. Going to help the Turians, Salarians and Asari in getting past their ship size restrictions."

"Are you sure?" Hessen inquired. "If that's true, we're about to lose an advantage over them. Goddamn it. Maybe our politicians can convince our, oh so great allies, to stop meddling with the Citadel."

"Times are changing Ronald. You and the UNSC High Command needs to keep up. We're about to get a President promising a lot of things. One of them being putting an end to all the fighting and casualties." _War's aftermath is almost as bloody as the war itself_ , he thought.


	18. Chapter 18 Election

Halo New Galaxy Ch18 Election

 **1** **st** **August 2554**

 **Minos system, Tusken Orion surface**

 **Capital city of Fort Yale, Indignity Tower, briefing room**

The damp room had a circular table of wood in the center and except from two seats the rest was occupied. The first to speak was an ONI Lt. Commander. He was an older man with a bald head and grim eyes. He keyed on console to produced holographic images in front of every individual around the table.

"The subject chosen for Project Black Arrow is a member of Spartan Fireteam Crimson," he explained in a tough, solid voice. "Spartan Richard Marshal, Spartan IV, goes by the codename Locust. Reasons for choosing him goes to combat experienced, loyalty to the UNSC, ONI-in extinction-dislike of aliens, previous work with AIs, but never as closely as this Operation. Personal file makes us confident that he will volunteer for the change to become a better soldier. His rival attitude with other Squad members plays into this."

"How did it come that you chose him and not, say…Petty Officer Mira A-305?" A Scientist asked. "She's an all-around better soldier. From the Spartan III program, but most importantly. Proven more mentally stable."

"Her disposition to ONI put her on the border of the project as well as her relationship with Spartan Nomad D-222," the Lt. Commander answered. "Locust was a far better choice. Trust me doctor, we were very carefully when choosing our start subject."

A General leaned forward. "Have you picked two new generation AIs yet?"

"We have," a technician assured. "Dublin and Bravery. We plan on implanting them in Spartan Locust within a week."

"They are already on their way to Rio, where he is," the Lt. Commander said.

"How is project funding?" The general asked.

"Covered," the Lt. Commander assured everyone at the table. "Even if the new government demand that ONI reveal all operations and is forced to pull funding, it won't affect us. Black Arrow will play under the radar with funding from other sources." One of them was Cerberus, but he wouldn't tell anyone that. That was classified and would only concern many of the people present at the meeting.

 **1** **st** **August 2554**

 **Riga Lillo system, Rio surface**

 **Galley Base, Barrack 132**

Shepard was sitting back in a relaxed position in a chair, eyes focused on the screen on their wall. He was joined by his Company heads watching the election going on back on Earth. It was quite an extraordinary thing, this election. He had never seen one before, neither had his friends for that matter.

"Well would you look at that," Hendricks noted with approval. It had been announced moments ago that Francisca Redfield had won the election with a landslide of tens of millions of votes. "Not surprising but, hell…"

Daniella looked at her from the bunkbed she sat on. "How that? Why not surprising?" she was a bit confused.

"Well, after the deal with the new aliens Fleming's chances dropped," Hendricks explain to her young friend. "And Admiral Waller…well he's…how to put it. People don't want the military in the Presidential seat. Probably would leave the military in charge, leaving the Assembly null and void."

Daniella remembered hearing something about that. She had heard some of her men talking about how Waller would be a puppet of the military, and it wouldn't be a true democracy. How true that was she didn't know though. What she did know was that Fleet Admiral Hood had made a statement about HIGHCOM folk in the election. He took a stance away from any military control over the Assembly. Actually, thinking about it, it was probably his stance that convinced a lot of people to vote for someone other than a high ranking military officer, and since people distrusted or even hated Fleming, it left Redfield. Personally she thought the UNSC should leave the UEG to get its act together and ensure fair elections without military involvement. Which is why she voted for Redfield.

"Who'd you guys vote for?" Captain Rory Wu inquired.

"You're looking at her," Hendricks answered simply. "Our new President."

"Ditto," Shepard said.

Wu looked at Daniella.

"Yep. Same," she said with confidence.

"All of you? Really?" Wu said stunned. "York, what about you man?"

Hathaway shifted in his seat. "Nah man, I went for Waller. Admiral had the right of it."

Wu smiled. "Someone reasonable. Finally!" he raised his arms overdramatically.

Shepard shook his head and smiled.

"Haven't we had enough of military head of state?" Daniella questioned carefully.

"We survived through a military head of state," Hathaway argued. "Removing Lord Hood's a mistake. Admiral Waller running was what we needed. We saw decades ago that civilians can't run the government."

"Oh, please. You're not that short sighted, are you?" Hendricks inquired amused. She crossed her arms over her chest.

Wu shrugged with a smirk. "I'm a career soldier. Don't get paid to think about politics."

"Settle down," Shepard told them. "Redfield's about to hold her speech."

He leaned back. Their hardship on Rio was almost over. In two days they would ship out. He didn't know where yet but he'd be informed tomorrow. A Helljumpers work was never done.

 **1** **st** **August 2554**

 **Inner Council space, Citadel**

 **Presidium, C-Sec HQ**

Garrus and his team was meeting in a medium sized office with Seyho and the Quarian, Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya and the Council. They had managed to find Tali in Zakara Ward, fighting a few Advent agents. She was very appreciative for the assistance and gave them all the information she had. Advents attempt on her life had confirmed that the ship was very much theirs. Information she downloaded from the ships computers-after locating files that someone had attempted to delete as the ship went down-showed that a meeting had occurred between an Advent group of ships and ships from an organization known as Cerberus. The name didn't ring a bell for anyone, but Garrus was certain the humans would know pretty well. Seyho's people had decrypted some data that gave them coordinates to a facility where a second meeting with these, Cerberus, would occur. Tali had asked to join his team to get some payback on the Advent bosh'tet's that tried to kill her. With a grin he agreed on the spot. Her skill with engineering and tech was without a doubt useful, not to mention her combat skill.

Councilor Valern put his hands together. "…and finally-" he said. "-we have a way for you to reach this facility, unseen." He brought up the hologram of a ship on his Omni-tool and sent it to Garrus. "Vakarian, this is the _Nautilus_. It has been secretly developed by Turian and Salarian engineers to be a new class of Frigate. It was started before we encountered the humans, but then became more important, given our technological lapse behind them. It possesses steal capability."

Zaeed whistled somewhat impressed.

Mordin just smiled.

"Wait till you see it, very impressive," he told Garrus.

Garrus turned his head to the scientist. He decided to ask afterward about his involvement in the project.

"Now mind you, it does not have a cloak, but it has the ability to hide its heat signature," the Salarian Councilor explained whilst his Turian and Asari colleges remained quiet throughout. "A new piece of technology."

The Turian Councilor Sparatus looked directly at Zaeed. "You, mercenary." Zaeed had been leaning against the wall throughout the meeting duration. He straightened his back and put his hands in his pockets. "Considering the amount we are paying you I think you should tell us about your people's technology and abilities in this field."

Zaeed cleared his throat. "Sure. Haven't been in the UNSC for decades though. Keep that in mind." He had a casual tone in his voice. "Ole' Covenant had the technology to cloak soldiers. I know we worked on it, heard rumors that they reverse engineered it for the Spartans. Nothing that cloak ships though. By anyone to my knowledge."

Sparatus nodded in acknowledgement. "We appreciate your candor Mr Massani."

Valern brought the conversation back to Garrus.

"Vakarian. Your ship awaits you in Dock 11A," he explained with a warm smile. "I expect you to keep us up to date on your mission's progress."

"Off course Councilor," Garrus promised.

"If you find the assassin," Sparatus growled. "Bring him back to justice. He'll pay for the cold blooded act!"

Garrus nodded firmly. "Count on it."

He wondered about the fallout if he killed humans from this, Cerberus group, but any political fallout would be the Council's task. Beside they had the facts on their side anyway, if the UNSC protested. Operating illegally in Council space, murdering a high ranking General.

* * *

As the airlock opened almost two dozen people walked out through them, departing the Strident class Heavy Frigate, and onto the Citadel. Most of them was here for the first time. Though a few politicians had been here before to meet with the Council or other races calling the Citadel their home. But for Staff Sergeant Song had never been here before. She had seen the large station when they dropped out from the Mass Relay. It was an amazing sight. She figured it wasn't as impressive as the great Forerunner rings, but she had never seen one so she couldn't compare.

Walking off the Frigate into the dock she saw marines acting security as alien dockworkers moved about. The marines was unarmed. One of the aliens reminded her of a fatter version of a grunt. It worse a red and white suit with a breathing mask, helmet and all. His breathing was very heavy when she walked passed him. It was the only alien she didn't knew about. She had read up on Salarians and Turians on the way. They represented the other aliens present at the moment.

It felt strange to meet aliens that didn't shoot at her. Not shooting at them felt even stranger. Not to mention how nice they looked. Not a sign of hostility. The Turians didn't even throw them a dirty glance, which was the least she expected from them, given experience with other alien races.

As she continued through a corridor towards the dock exit she saw a marine Major heading towards her. He wore a dress uniform, just like her, and was unarmed, like the other marines. She understood how being unarmed had raised some protests from her military's side. But the only people allowed weapons aboard was the C-Sec people, and since most of them was Turian…well. The Citadel didn't give into the UNSC's early protest when establishing an embassy here.

"Staff Sergeant Ghost Song," the major said as he blocked her path. "Major Bryman."

"Yes, sir. Is there a problem?" She asked.

He shook his head calmly. "Not at all Sergeant. I'm here to escort you to our embassy."

She was surprised to hear that. "May I ask why?"

"Our ambassador wants to talk to you before you stroll around the Citadel."

"Everyone get this special welcome Major?" Ghost asked.

That her name was Ghost had allowed a barrage of dad jokes when she was a kid. Those jokes nobody understood but every dad made. It went about, because of her very pale skin the name was fitting. A joke her dad used to make all the time. He and her uncle was the only two people that ever thought it was funny.

"Not every day a war hero drops in Sergeant," he gestured for her to walk with him. "War here your age nonetheless."

"Thank you, sir," she accepted the complement with a smile. She pulled her right hand through her long ebony black hair.

As they got into an air car he turned his head to her.

"I read your file Staff. Can I ask why an ace pilot transfer to the Corps ground pounders?"

"Simple answer, sir. I wanted a change. Being a pilot didn't feel right to me. Therefor I managed a transfer to Force Recon."

"Well, Air Force lost a great pilot, but gained a great sharpshooter," the Major told her. As the man at the wheel started moving.

 _Heard that before_ , Ghost thought. "I'm pretty sure that Sangheili General would have preferred me staying a pilot."

The Major chuckled. "That was some good shooting Staff. Taking out the Covie chain of command." He paused and got serious. "I never had a chance to defend Earth. My unit was on the way, was afraid it'd be over before we arrived. It was, but for the better. Didn't think we'd win. Thought Earth would be glassed before we came home."

Ghost thought back to the Battle of Earth. During one of her first recon missions her team had come across a Covenant basecamp in the ruins of some town. She decided to not just recon the base and put a sniper round through a Sangheili General, than continued with killing most of the commanding officers before she withdrew before they discovered her. The general had commanded forces in the entire region and they were left with inadequate command from lesser officers.

"You've got an impressive record given how short it is," Major Bryman stated. "You're probably one of the youngest recipients of the Medal of Honor in the UNSC. No joke, I'm very impressed. Command's been pretty much against leave of the Citadel. Want to keep us all in, _safe_ , territory."

She frowned inquisitively. "Are you saying I'm the exception?"

He looked at her and nodded. "I'd say so, this far. But most people asking for leave and a trip to the Citadel isn't damn heroes."

"Major. In my opinion ever man and woman that picks up a weapon to defend humanity is a hero. I just did my part."

"Seems the brass thought you did a hell of a lot more than your part Staff," the Major said with finality. "Should be at the Presidium in a few minutes. Enjoy the visuals."

And she really did. The Citadel was beautiful this far. Filled with life and a bunch of different species living peacefully together. She couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if they ran into these aliens in 2525 instead of the Covenant. So much could have been different and so many billions would be alive today. If it had been Turians attacking Harvest instead the other Council races would probably have stepped in-like after Shanxi-and negotiated peace. Maybe the Council could have helped ward off the Covenant and ended the war with less dead. She broke her trail of thought and shook her head. No reason to think about what might have been.

The aircar landed. "Here we are," the driver announced.

Ghost and Major Bryman stepped out. Ghost continued being in awe over the Presidium's beauty. They made their way to the building housing the human embassy. They took a turbolift up and headed through a reception into a hallway. Major Bryman stopped in front of the desk of an Asari. Udina's secretary, Melia.

"Staff Sergeant Song-" he nodded to Ghost. "-she's expected."

Melia checked the console. "Just a minute. The ambassador has a meeting currently."

It only took a few seconds before the doors opened and Ronald Hessen walked out. Ghost and Bryman snapped to attention.

"At ease," Hessen said speeding passed them.

"Ambassador, Sergeant Song is here to see you," Melia informed Udina.

Udina appeared in the doorway and waved her in. "Come on Sergeant, come in."

Ghost didn't like politicians much. She took a deep breath and breathed out before stepping inside.

"Ambassador," she greeted and put her hands behind her back.

He reached out his hand and led her to his desk. She took his hand and heard the door close behind her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Sergeant Song," Udina said pleasantly. "I'm sure you've heard this before, but you are one of the youngest Medal of Honor recipients in UNSC history. Not even mentioning joining Force Recon at the age of twenty."

"I know my record, sir," Ghost said, trying to sound firm and hide that she was nervous. "Can I ask why I'm here?"

Udina sat down behind his desk and she sat down opposite him. She fiddled nervously with her fingers in her knee.

"As you might know, there isn't a lot of humans here, except for the diplomatic delegation here. Including some marines for security, such has Major Bryman," Udina explained. He shoved a datapad to her side of the table. "Read through this. Regulations you mist abide by while here. Follow their laws is a given, but I'll state it anyway. You don't have diplomatic immunity. It only goes for ambassadors, not soldiers attached to us or…well yourself. You're on leave, as in not attached."

"I-I understand completely, ambassador," Ghost assured him. "I just wanna see this place."

He pointed at the pad. "Read that, than…enjoy yourself Staff Sergeant."

"Thank you, sir. Won't disappoint."

He rose with a stoic expression. "Then enjoy your stay. You'll have to excuse me. I have a meeting with a Volus business man."

* * *

In earlier chapters there was fighting in most chapters so I've been cutting it down a bit to make it slightly more rare.

Feel free to review!

I wish everyone a good week.


	19. Chapter 19 Actions

Halo New Galaxy Ch19 Actions

 **2** **nd** **August 2554**

 **Riga Lillo system, Rio surface**

 **Galley Base, Barrack 132**

Daniella put her last gear into the locker after finishing up a scouting mission with her Company. They had searched a heavily forested area for enemy activity. A few dropships had been shot down two weeks earlier and had been fighting a weak guerilla war since. The 29th Sky Hopper Battalion had started fighting a counter guerilla against Storm forces remaining in the forests. The absolute majority of them had been cleaned out by the Marine Corps pilots in an air campaign.

Before closing the locker she looked at her helmet. All the blood stains was gone now. During the operation the Corporal in charge of her Security Detail had been shot in the head, spraying her helmet with blood and gore. The poor guy would still be alive if the UNSC wasn't engaged in an unnecessary conflict. If they had left the damn Civil War crap to the ex Covies he would probably be alive. A lot of people would be.

Her mind traveled to Julian Duke, her boyfriend as she closed the locker and strolled out of the room with her hands in her pockets. She hadn't seen him for months and really missed him. She had gotten messages from him-and him from her-on Rio. He'd been flying around in a Pelican. He had been over her head on Hawaii not long ago, giving it his all.

"Captain," Everett saluted when they met in the corridor.

"El-Tee," Daniella acknowledge.

They were supposed to deploy to another planet but it had been delayed, for whatever reason. She was wondering where they would drop them this time. A former Covenant shithole or maybe an Outer colony they wanted squash under foot and reclaim. With Insurrectionist activities in the Outer colonies on the rise it would mean more military operations against them. She sighed at the thought.

She made her way to her barrack and laid down on her bunk, picking up a pad. She had started writing a message to Julian earlier. Might as well continue since she had some downtime. She couldn't wait to hear back from him. The message started with the usual greeting phrase-this time-hi! She had continued with mentioning that she missed him a lot and the misfortune of being stationed so close to each other but not having the chance to meet. She added a few lines about his grievances about how General Horus and her people had handled the ground combat, and-in her mind-left the Sky Hoppers to basically fend for themselves in the finishing moves of the Fernando Islands campaign. She ended it with her usual loving 'hugs and kisses' line.

Meanwhile John Shepard entered the CNC. He walked past some officers and technician. A group of majors and a colonel overlooked a holographic map of a region where they suspected Storm activity. He recognized the colonel as the man who was supposed to reinforce them on Hawaii during the fighting. He was a strategist through and through. No combat experience. The typical officer that never saw battle personally.

He stopped in front of Vice Admiral Petra Hammond and saluted.

"Lieutenant Colonel Shepard reporting, sir!" He announced.

Hammond affirmed his presence with a nod as she read through a datapad. She looked up with a smile and handed over the pad.

"I'm returning to my ship in a moment so I'll be brief," Hammond said.

Shepard skimmed the pad. "Is this about my old Spec ops request back in the war?"

"In a way it is."

"That was years ago. How's this relevant now?"

She smiled slightly wider. "Colonel. Your higher ups have decided to transfer you to command your own Special Forces team. Keeping a man of your skill in charge of common ground operations is a waste, to be honest. Frankly the UNSC has been wasting your talents. The team is new and I've been assured you'll have a say in whose in. that pad has the necessary information available to you at this time. Including people up for a post with you. Look through it, add your own suggestions and send it to Horus. She'll make sure it will be sent to HIGHCOM."

Shepard was stunned. This was a lot to take it suddenly. Although he had always wanted and preferred small unit spec ops missions to large scale ground operations-like commanding a Battalion-he would miss his friends and wondered who would replace him. Both York and Pamela was capable of accepting that task, but York had a dented record as of late. It might hinder his career.

"What about my Battalion, Admiral?" He asked stoically.

"With your recommendation Captain Pamela Hendricks will be promoted and assume your command. If she's up for it?"

Shepard nodded without a second thought. "York? He's my XO."

"Yes," she acknowledged. "But…the incidents on the Citadel…"

He nodded. "I understand." The two fight's he had help start had put a dent in his career. He had been afraid of that since it happened. Now it really impacted his friend's career. He snapped off a salute and Hammond returned it.

"Dismissed Colonel, and congratulation."

"Yes, sir. Thank you."

 **2** **nd** **August 2554**

 **Unfaithful system**

 **Starforge**

Amon stepped inside the giant stations control room. The brain of the entire operation. His scientists had been able to confirm that it was an enormous shipyard. Almost as wide as a Super Carrier was long and ninety-two km in height from top to bottom with hundreds of docks for ship construction. He looked at a Sangheili tech. He was feeding blueprints of a CAR class Frigate. They planned on testing if the Starforge could construct a vessel off the blueprints. If they figured out-when they figured out-how to operate it, they could construct their own armada faster than normal. He imagined constructing a Super Carrier within a year. But that was dreaming really. He had no idea how fast it would be. He'd have to wait for the scientists and technicians to figure that out.

"Field Marshal Amon," A Sangheili said.

Amon looked at the tall Zealot. The Zealot was over two meters tall but was still dwarfed by Amon's over three meter height. Even for a Sangheili he was tall.

"There is a transmission from Supreme Commander Roshaka."

"Patch it through here," Amon decided.

They had installed a holographic communion system in the control center recently. The Field Marshal walked over to the communications and the hologram of his brother appeared.

"Amon," the Supreme Commander of the Covenant of the Hand greeted him. "How goes your operations on the Starforge?"

"We have searched the station and are working on getting full control of it. If we are right, our fleet can grow exponentially in size," Amon explained shortly.

"Good. Good. I have made a decision and I need you to dispatch part of your fleet to our home system. There they will meet with a Super Carrier to lead the second wave."

Amon tilted his head. "What are you planning to do?"

"The new races, the Citadel Council, we must act before they join the fight against us with the humans and Thel Vadam's forces. A crippling first blow will convince them to back off. We saw it at Shanxi. The Turian Hierarchy backed off after they lost a simple battle. Proof they will do it again if we obliterate one of their worlds."

"I…am not sure I agree," Amon said. "Brother. You could unite them against us."

Roshaka snorted amused. "My tactic is flawless. The planet they call Eridium will be my target. It is an industrial world. Losing it will be a strong blow and they will never stand against us."

Amon sighed. "Burning their world didn't work well against the humans, did it."

Roshaka glared at him. "My commanders have considered this already. Trust me. I have never been beaten and I won't start now."

Amon could hear the superiority in his voice. Not that it was completely unwarranted, but making important tactical decisions based on it could end badly. Although, it could end it being in his own best interest.

"Understood," he acknowledged.

Roshaka ended his transmission.

A Sangheili officer turn to Amon.

"Field Marshal," he said, catching Amon's attention. "Communications has received a message." He had an excited tone in his voice which caught Amon's attention.

"Well, what does it say?" He asked.

The Sangheili stepped closer. "Sir, the Song of Silence has been found. A Task Force has located it and are now controlling the facility. The ship is in our hands as of now."

Amon's eyes had widened at the news. He had assumed the large Dreadnought was destroyed at the end of the war. It was supposed to be a super weapon for the Covenant navy against the humans, but it was never finished because of the Covenant's collapse. But he thought it had certainly been destroyed. But now the massive warship was in the Hands control. Assuming they could finish it. They had to keep it a secret, keep it secure.

"Should we inform Supreme Commander Roshaka?"

"No." If his brother knew now he would want it deployed immediately, before it was finished.

 **2** **nd** **August 2554**

 **Urs system, planet Sanghelios**

On top of a rock formation overlooking the canyon Abigail Sevchenko set up her sniper nest. She focused her violet eyes through the scope as the wind grabbed her dark blue long hair gently. She was happy that she could now use her favorite weapon, the Focus rifle. She rested her vision on the Sangheili below. There was three dozen warriors and a handful of officers present. Like her, they waited for the resident of the bunker to walk outside. An important Sword of Sanghelios Fleet Master. He was a strong voice for cooperation with the Council and humanity. Which had brought on the ire of her Advent and Cerberus employers. She didn't care for the clashes between them. As long as they paid her she'd do their bidding. They could kill each other as long as she got paid.

And so the target himself appeared, flanked by bodyguards in blue armor but with a red sun sigil on their chestplate. She gazed through the scope and aimed at the Fleet Master's head. Her finger gently rested against the trigger, waiting for the perfect moment. With the squeeze of her finger, chaos broke out as the Fleet Master dropped dead.

* * *

Good god it's been ages since the last chapter, really sorry about!


End file.
